Islands tidiga bosättning : studier med utgångspunkt i merovingertida-vikingatida gårdslämningar i Herjólfsdalur, Vestmannaeyjar, Island

Sammanfattning: The date for the beginning of colonization of Iceland by settlers from Norway has generally been set at 872-874 A.D. Excavations at Herjólfsdalur on the Westman Islands, however, have shown that Norse settlement first occurred considerably earlier or in the Merovingian Period in the 7th century. The traditionally accepted data is based on secondary sources, principally the Book of settlements, written in the 13 th century, and on the therefore supposed dates for two widely-occurring tephra layers deposited during volcanic eruptions (the landnám and a Katla layer). The conclusion of the Herjólfsdalur research are based on archaeological methods, including excavation of the farm building and the establishment of depositional chronology, analysis of the artefacts found, and 14C dating of charcoal remains.Occupation of the farm at Herjólfsdalur lasted from 7th to the 10th or 11th century. The site was undoubtedly chosen partly because it offered the best source of fresh water on the island and later abandoned, in part because of erosion brought on by farming methods used. Excavation of the site revealed two phases of building construction. Livestock farming (cattle and sheep/goats) was the principal means of livelihood, though swine and poultry were also kept. Some grain was cultivated and fishing and the hunting of sea-birds also practiced.Norwegian sod and stone building traditions and certain artefact finds clearly point to the Norse origins of this early settlement. Since radiocarbon dating and comparisons of these traditions show that the settlement in Herjólfsdalur extends from the Merovingian Period in the 7th century, reconsideration of the dating of the tephra falls and more critical comparisons with museum collections and earlier excavations are in order.