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

该奖项支持对由于气候驱动的海岸侵蚀而面临即将消失危险的考古遗址进行快速反应取芯和取样。Hafnarbúdir是一个大型的、早期专门从事海洋捕捞或捕鲸的地点，有可能改写人们对冰岛维京时代经济的理解。遗址由许多小结构、特征和骨骼堆积组成，这些结构和特征岌岌可危地栖息在侵蚀的海岸线上。尽管考古学家和历史学家认识到，许多关键的经济活动都发生在农庄之外，但冰岛维京时代的考古工作大多以农场和农庄为中心。因此，这个网站有可能改变对北欧海盗时代生活的传统叙述，以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海岸适应的理解。该团队将与冰岛的研究人员和学生合作，确定网站边界，确定沉积日期，并回收材料进行初步分析。遗址文件包括剖面图、测绘、摄影和密集取心制度，以限定遗址界限，定位集中的人为矿床，并在地层背景下恢复冰盖岩层。将收集浮选样品以进行识别、测年和活动区的位置。从现场发现的鲸骨将接受胶原指纹和古代DNA分析，以识别代表的物种。最后，研究小组将对与遗址和附近农场相关的历史文献进行系统审查。这项工作的更广泛的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、会议演示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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 Finally, the research team will conduct a systematic review of historical documents related to the site and nearby farms.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.