RAPID: Archaeological Investigations at Surtshellir Cave

对于在北大西洋的北欧殖民地来说，洞穴是令人恐惧的地方，通常都是避开的。一个值得注意的例外是苏尔特希尔洞穴，它是世界上最大的熔岩管洞穴之一。surtshelr的民间传说、神话和历史叙述跨越了近一千年，主要是恐怖的形象，世界秩序的推翻，以及通过维京时代酋长和社区领袖的行动恢复平衡。这些故事开始于这个洞穴的名字——Surtur，一种火和熔岩的元素力量，挪威人认为他在世界创造时就存在，并将在时间结束时摧毁世界，人类和众神。苏尔特谢尔利尔有着令人印象深刻的考古记录，PI在2001年对苏尔特谢尔利尔的考察中记录了这一记录，并在2012年得到了NSF EAGER的资助：在洞穴深处300米处有一个船形的维京时代结构，大量被肢解的、故意破碎的动物骨头，以及一道长30英尺（10米）、高15英尺（4.5米）的干石墙，用来阻挡洞穴的进出。对于Surtshellir独特的考古记录，人们提出了两种解释：这些是亡命之徒占领的遗迹，或者它代表了一个献祭的地点，以平息苏尔特或防止世界末日。评估这些选择将使我们对维京时代的宗教以及北大西洋挪威殖民者带来的社会和神圣组织的理解得到重大改进，这些组织是在抵达冰岛后发展起来的。了解这个遗址的核心是维京时代结构中的薄层沉积物。S团队在2012年发现的。然而，该遗址现在是一个旅游目的地，这些脆弱的维京时代的沉积物和他们的文物正在被不受管制的进入洞穴而破坏和掠夺，并最终因洞穴屋顶的持续坍塌而濒临灭绝，这两者都限制了该遗址可以记录的时间。2013年8月，PI将利用RAPID的资金挖掘这些濒危的文化遗迹，以免下一个旅游季节对它们造成进一步的破坏，或者屋顶的坍塌将它们永远封存。该项目的国际合作者——冰岛国家博物馆和冰岛文物办公室——认为这项研究是保护遗址考古资源的必要的第一步，为当代和后代解释它，并使可持续和合理的游客进入洞穴。

Caves were places of fear for the Norse colonies of the North Atlantic, and were generally avoided. One notable exception is Surtshellir cave, one of the largest lava-tube caves in the world. Surtshellir's folklore, mythology, and historic narratives span nearly a millennium and are dominated by images of terror, the overthrow of the world's order, and the restoration of balance through the actions of Viking Age chieftains and community leaders. These stories begin with the being for whom the cave is named - Surtur, an elemental force of fire and lava whom the Norse believed was present at the world's creation and would destroy the world, men, and the gods at the end of time. Surtshellir has an impressive archaeological record, documented by the PI on expeditions into Surtshellir in 2001 and, with NSF EAGER funding, in 2012: a ship-shaped Viking Age structure 300 meters back into the cave, massive numbers of dismembered, intentionally fragmented animal bones, and a dry-stone wall 30 ft (10 m) long and 15ft (4.5 m) high built to block entrance or exit from the cave.Two explanations have been put forward for Surtshellir's unique archaeological record: that these are the residues of outlaws' occupations or that it represents a site at which sacrifices were made to calm Surt or to prevent the end of the world. Assessing these alternatives will lead to major refinements of our understanding of Viking Age religion and the social and sacral organization that the North Atlantic Norse colonizers brought with them, or developed on arriving in Iceland. Central to understanding this site are thin floor deposits within the Viking Age structure that the PI?s team identified in 2012. However, the site is now a tourist destination and these fragile Viking Age deposits and their artifacts are being damaged and looted by unregulated access to the cave and ultimately endangered by the ongoing collapse of the cave's roof, both of which limit the time when the site can be documented.The PI will use RAPID funding in August 2013 to excavate these endangered cultural deposits before another tourist season can damage them further or the roof's collapse seals them forever. The project's international collaborators - the National Museum of Iceland and theIcelandic Antiquities Office view this research as a necessary first step towards protecting the site's archaeological resources, interpreting it for present and future generations, and enabling sustainable and justifiable tourist access to the cave.