Skáholt 2002 - Nabo

4. DISCUSSION
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL
There are two aspects to the archaeology of Skálholt which really stand out in terms of
the potential for analysis: one is the survival of the architectural fabric and the other is the
rich material culture assemblages. They suggest three key avenues of enquiry in the study
of the settlement, all potentially supplemented by documentary sources:
Living Conditions and Lifestyles
At the most basic level, the archaeological remains can inform on varied living conditions
within the community during the 18 th century – particularly how different sections of the
community lived, and what differential access and usage they had to material culture.
Such a study will require much more detailed analysis of the finds and a more careful
consideration of context, specifically issues of re-deposition or disturbance. It should also
include other sites as comparison, especially local farms at one end, and other elite
residences at the other (e.g. Bessastaðir, Hólar, Viðey).
Organization of Space
More generally, the layout of the buildings on the site provides the opportunity to
examine spatial organization and how this affected people’s movement and perception of
space. More accurately than studying surviving plans and maps , the archaeological
remains can help us to understand how movement was directed and access between
rooms and spaces was controlled and how different sections of the community may have
perceived the site in different ways. Such an approach can also consider the unique nature
of the site in Iceland at this time in terms of the large population residing there, and to
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