Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland
Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is track...
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Radiocarbon
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ftunivarizonaojs:oai:journals.uair.arizona.edu:article/2962 2023-05-15T16:46:03+02:00 Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland Church, M J Dugmore, A J Mairs, K A Millard, A R Cook, G T Sveinbjarnardttir, G cough, P A Roucoux, K H 2007-01-01 application/pdf https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962 eng eng Radiocarbon https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962/2721 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962 Radiocarbon; Vol 49, No 2 (2007); 659-672 0033-8222 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2007 ftunivarizonaojs 2020-11-14T17:53:01Z Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is tracked through the mapping and analysis of charcoal production pits. Precise dating of the use of these charcoal production pits within a Bayesian framework is demonstrated through the combination of tephrochronology, sediment accumulation rates, and multiple radiocarbon dates on the archaeological charcoal. Two phases of charcoal production and woodland exploitation have been demonstrated, the first within the first 2 centuries of settlement (cal AD 8701050) and the second phase over 100 yr later (cal AD 11851295). The implications for using charcoal as a medium for 14C dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Archaeobotanical analysis of the charcoal sampled from the pits has indicated that birch roundwood was the dominant wood used, that the roundwood was stripped from larger shrubs/trees in late spring/early summer, and that certain sizes and ages of roundwood were harvested. Finally, the timing of the charcoal production is placed into the wider debate on deforestation across Iceland during the Norse and early Medieval periods. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland North Atlantic Journals at the University of Arizona |
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Journals at the University of Arizona |
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ftunivarizonaojs |
language |
English |
description |
Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is tracked through the mapping and analysis of charcoal production pits. Precise dating of the use of these charcoal production pits within a Bayesian framework is demonstrated through the combination of tephrochronology, sediment accumulation rates, and multiple radiocarbon dates on the archaeological charcoal. Two phases of charcoal production and woodland exploitation have been demonstrated, the first within the first 2 centuries of settlement (cal AD 8701050) and the second phase over 100 yr later (cal AD 11851295). The implications for using charcoal as a medium for 14C dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Archaeobotanical analysis of the charcoal sampled from the pits has indicated that birch roundwood was the dominant wood used, that the roundwood was stripped from larger shrubs/trees in late spring/early summer, and that certain sizes and ages of roundwood were harvested. Finally, the timing of the charcoal production is placed into the wider debate on deforestation across Iceland during the Norse and early Medieval periods. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Church, M J Dugmore, A J Mairs, K A Millard, A R Cook, G T Sveinbjarnardttir, G cough, P A Roucoux, K H |
spellingShingle |
Church, M J Dugmore, A J Mairs, K A Millard, A R Cook, G T Sveinbjarnardttir, G cough, P A Roucoux, K H Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
author_facet |
Church, M J Dugmore, A J Mairs, K A Millard, A R Cook, G T Sveinbjarnardttir, G cough, P A Roucoux, K H |
author_sort |
Church, M J |
title |
Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
title_short |
Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
title_full |
Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
title_fullStr |
Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland |
title_sort |
charcoal production during the norse and early medieval periods in eyjafjallahreppur, southern iceland |
publisher |
Radiocarbon |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962 |
genre |
Iceland North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Iceland North Atlantic |
op_source |
Radiocarbon; Vol 49, No 2 (2007); 659-672 0033-8222 |
op_relation |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962/2721 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2962 |
_version_ |
1766036180400340992 |