Charcoal production during the Norse and early medieval periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland

Church, MJ; Dugmore, AJ; Mairs, K-A; Millard, A; Cook, GT; Sveinbjarnardóttir, G; Ascough, PA; Newton, AJ; Roucoux, K

Charcoal production during the Norse and early medieval periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland

Church, MJ; Dugmore, AJ; Mairs, K-A; Millard, A; Cook, GT; Sveinbjarnardóttir, G; Ascough, PA; Newton, AJ; Roucoux, K

Authors

Professor Mike Church m.j.church@durham.ac.uk
Professor

AJ Dugmore

K-A Mairs

A Millard

GT Cook

G Sveinbjarnardóttir

PA Ascough

AJ Newton

K Roucoux

Abstract

Timber procurement and the use of woodlands is a key issue in the Norse and Medieval period in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of Norse 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. The implications for using charcoal as a dating medium for radiocarbon dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Finally, the nature of the deforestation and human impact on the environment is placed into the context of the Norse landnám across the North Atlantic.

Citation

Church, M., Dugmore, A., Mairs, K., Millard, A., Cook, G., Sveinbjarnardóttir, G., …Roucoux, K. (2007). Charcoal production during the Norse and early medieval periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland. Radiocarbon, 49(2), 659-672

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Nov 1, 2007
Deposit Date	Dec 5, 2008
Publicly Available Date	Dec 5, 2008
Journal	Radiocarbon
Print ISSN	0033-8222
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	49
Issue	2
Pages	659-672
Keywords	Norse, Iceland, Deforestation, Radiocarbon, Tephrochronology, Charcoal.
Publisher URL	http://www.radiocarbon.org/