Skáholt 2002 - Nabo

what extent it prefigured the first urban environment which subsequently developed in
Reykjavík.
Trade and Consumption
Finally the material culture on the site can be compared in an international context, both
to examine Skálholt´s position within wider trade networks and consumption patterns. If
Skálholt was an elite residence by Icelandic standards, how did this express itself How
much did the consumption of exotic or expensive commodities follow mainland
European trends and how much was it a distinctly Icelandic articulation Is the range of
imported goods simply a reflection of what was available or is there selection – and if so,
on what criteria Does this consumption stimulate the production of new forms of goods
within Iceland and have an impact on the domestic economy Such issues have larger
implications in terms of the development of modern consumption patterns for Iceland,
especially among elite society.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL POTENTIAL
Ian A. Simpson, Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland,
U.K.
Understanding the emergence and diffusion of innovative agricultural land management
practices in the north Atlantic region is a key research arena within environmental
history, and is an essential pre-requisite to discussions on a range of diverse topics
including early trade, resource sustainability and landscape change. The contribution of
early (pre-Reformation) ecclesiastical settlement to agricultural innovation is a little
explored theme that is emerging as a key dimension within the north Atlantic region, and
the commencement of excavations at Skálholt provides an outstanding opportunity to
explore this relationship in an Icelandic context with wider, regional, implications.
This summary first sets out emerging integrated historical, archaeological and soils-based
evidence from Scotland suggesting that both Celtic missionaries and later monastic
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