RAPID: Assessing Evidence for Marine Resource Utilization at Eroding Coastal Sites in Northern Iceland

该奖项支持对因气候驱动的海岸侵蚀而面临损失危险的考古遗址进行快速反应取样。Hafnarbúdir是一个大型的，早期专门的海洋捕鱼或捕鲸网站，有可能重写对冰岛维京时代经济的理解。该遗址由许多小型结构、特征和骨沉积物组成，这些结构、特征和骨沉积物不稳定地栖息在侵蚀的海岸上。尽管考古学家和历史学家认识到，许多重要的经济活动发生在农场之外，但维京时代冰岛的大部分考古工作都集中在农场和农庄上。因此，该遗址有可能改变对维京时代生活的传统叙述，更准确地反映其社会和经济的复杂性，同时更广泛地促进对北大西洋海洋和沿海适应的理解。该小组将与冰岛研究人员和学生合作，确定遗址边界，确定沉积物日期，并回收材料进行初步分析。现场记录包括剖面、制图、摄影和密集的取心制度，以确定现场范围，定位集中的人为沉积物，并在地层背景下恢复tephras。将收集浮选样品，用于鉴定、定年和确定活动区的位置。从现场找到的鲸须将进行胶原指纹和古代DNA分析，以确定有代表性的物种。最后，研究小组将对与该遗址和附近农场有关的历史文献进行系统的审查。这项工作的更广泛影响包括与冰岛当地社区的接触，学生参与者的体验式学习，以及通过社交媒体、公开讲座、会议演讲和同行评议的期刊出版物传播项目更新和发现。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the rapid-response coring and sampling of an archaeological site in imminent danger of loss due to climate-driven coastal erosion. Hafnarbúdir is a large, early specialized marine fishing or whaling site with the potential to rewrite understanding of Viking Age economies in Iceland. The site consists of numerous small structures, features, and bone deposits perched precariously on an eroding sea bank. Much of the archaeology of Viking Age Iceland centers on farms and farmsteads, though archaeologists and historians recognize that many key economic activities occurred beyond the farmstead. This site therefore has the potential to shift conventional narratives of Viking Age life to more accurately reflect its social and economic complexity, while advancing understanding of North Atlantic marine and coastal adaptations more generally.Working collaboratively with Icelandic researchers and students, the team will determine site boundaries, date deposits and recover material for preliminary analysis. Site documentation includes profiling, mapping, photography, and an intensive coring regime to bound site limits, locate concentrated anthropogenic deposits, and recover tephras in stratigraphic context. Flotation samples will be collected for identification, dating, and location of activity areas. Whalebone recovered from the site will be subjected to collagen fingerprinting and ancient DNA analysis to identify represented species. Finally, the research team will conduct a systematic review of historical documents related to the site and nearby farms. Broader impacts of the work include engagement with local Icelandic communities, experiential learning by student participants, and dissemination of project updates and findings through social media, public lectures, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed journal publications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.