VSF 2010 Report - Nabo

CORING AT HÁLSHÚS AND VATNSFJARÐASEL
Céline Dupont-Hébert
Université Laval
Introduction
Surveying the landscape by auguring
fields and archaeological features have
proven to be a productive way to
evaluate the potential of archaeological
sites. This means of probing site
stratigraphy has been used in many
different ways by archaeologists and
geologists around the world but a typical
procedure for archaeological use in
Iceland does not exist. Most of the time,
a strategy is elaborated in an ad hoc
fashion according to the research
objectives, landscape feature’s length
and width, knowledge of the area and
intuition of the archaeologist.
Interpretation of core results and data
synthesis are somehow open to
misinterpretation. This matter will be
discussed later.
During the summer of 2010, two
auguring experiments were undertaken
by the field school staff in the
Vatnsfjörður area. The first one was
done at the farm of Hálshús where an
eroded profile showed archaeological
deposits. The second experiment was
done at Vatnsfjarðasel, a shieling– sel- that became an independent farm in the early
modern period (Figure 1). This assessment will show the application of auguring in the
evaluation process for both rescue and
potential research using both Hálshús
and Vatnsfjarðasel as examples.
Borgarey
Vatnsfjarðasel
Vatnsfjörður
Hálshús
Figure 1. Location of archaeological sites under
discussion in this assessment (modified map from
Aldred 2008)
Hálshús
During the summer of 2010, field staff at Vatnsfjörður were advised that severe erosion
had occurred on a slope east of the farm of Hálshús, near the Vatnsfjörður farm. An
exposed profile showed stratified deposits of peat ash, charcoal and faunal remains
interpreted as a possible midden feature. In order to evaluate its extent, damage caused by
the erosion, and to plan an eventual rescue excavation, the author and a student from the
field school undertook the coring procedure around the possible midden.
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