High Risk Exploratory Research: Political Economy of Free State Iceland - Regional Archaeology in the Mosfell Valley

在国家科学基金会的支持下，约翰·斯坦伯格博士和他的同事们将在冰岛西南部的莫斯费尔山谷进行一季的考古测试。这项研究的主要目的是测试定位人类居住地、墓葬、铁冶炼和牲畜围场的技术。虽然在冰岛进行重大考古研究的潜力很大，但由于最近的土壤沉积地点极难定位，标准的地面调查技术也不太有效。动物粪便中的磷酸盐通常在土壤中保存得很好，斯坦伯格博士和他的同事们将系统地收集样本，并测试其含量是否升高。他们将利用这些数据选择有希望的区域，然后进行远程电导率（电磁）调查和磁调查，以定位人类行为的异常特征。将进行有限的挖掘，以确定相关的特征是否确实存在。这项高风险的初步工作如果成功，将为设计更大的研究项目提供基础。公元870年至930年间，维京人首次在冰岛定居。在这个相对温暖的时期，由于居民的生活方式主要以捕鱼和放牧为基础，人口迅速增长。特别有趣的是，丰富的本地文学作品的存在，为了解文化、社会和政治组织提供了洞见。虽然不是所有的文件都同意，但出现的画面是一个由酋长领导的分层社会，每个人都要效忠酋长。然而，“酋邦”并不以地理为基础，地方一级的集团可以选择向谁宣誓效忠。这是一种极其罕见的情况，在这种情况下，酋长领地缺乏区域权力基础，不控制毗连的领土。如果事实确实如此，它将增进对技术简单等级社会是如何组织起来的理解。然而，学者们注意到，大多数历史文献并不是描述当代制度的目击记录，而是在事实发生数百年后写的。考古数据将被证明是非常有价值的，以确定在地面上的现实，这是斯坦伯格博士的研究的最终目标。

With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. John Steinberg and his colleagues will conduct one season of archaeological testing in the Mosfell Valley in Southwestern Iceland. The proximate goal of the study is to test techniques for locating human habitations, burials, iron smelting and livestock penning areas. While the potential for significant archaeological research in Iceland is high, because of recent soil deposition sites are extremely difficult to locate and standard surface survey techniques do not work well. Phosphates from animal excrement often are well preserved in the soil and Dr. Steinberg and his colleagues will collect systematic samples and test for elevated levels. They will use these data to select promising areas and then conduct both remote conductivity (electromagnetic) survey and magnetic survey to locate anomalies characteristic of human behavior. Limited excavation will be carried out to determine whether relevant features are, in fact present. This high risk preliminary work, if successful, will provide a basis for designing a larger research project.Iceland was first settled by Vikings between 870 and 930 AD. During this relatively warm period population expanded rapidly as inhabitants developed a lifestyle based largely on fishing and sheep herding. Particularly interesting is the existence of a rich locally produced literature which provides insight into the culture and social and political organization. While not all documents agree, the picture which emerges is one of a stratified society headed by chiefs to which individuals owed their allegiance. However "chiefdoms" were not geographically based and local level groups could choose whom to pledge their allegiance. It is an extremely rare situation in which chiefdoms lack a regional power base and do not control contiguous territories. If such were in fact the case it would increase understanding of how technological simple hierarchical societies were organized. Scholars however have noted that most historical documents are not eyewitness accounts which described contemporary institutions but rather were written hundreds of years after the fact. Archaeological data would prove very valuable to determine on the ground reality and this is the ultimate goal of Dr. Steinberg's research.