archaeology

TheGeographer 14-7SPRING 2015traced to a specific eruption. Archaeological and palaeoenvironmentalevidence for Norse settlement in Icelandis placed immediately above one such horizon, the socalledLandnám Ash, dated via ice cores to AD 871 ±2.The presence of stumps and pollen grains of birch treespreserved in peat reveals that the pre-settlement landscapewas much different to that of today. Landnám resulted in animmediate and substantial clearance of birch woodland tocreate hayfields, and this was often accompanied by markedsoil erosion.In many respects, theenvironmental impact ofsettlement on Greenland,beginning with the arrivalof perhaps 14 ships ledby Erik the Red in AD 985,shares many commonalitieswith Iceland. Oneinteresting aspect of recentinvestigations around theruins of the Greenlandicfarms has been the useof pollen and the remainsof insects in tracing theintroduction (accidental orotherwise) and the spreadof ‘unwanted passengers’as a consequence of thesettlement process. Forexample, the appearanceof pollen of sheep’s sorrel(Rumex acetosella) at or soonArtificially-cut irrigation channel at Sandhavn, Greenland,lined with an impermeable clay-rich material. Charcoal withinthe basal lining produced a date of AD 1260-1390.after landnám is such a regular occurrence, thatthis can be widely used as a biological markerfor the onset and spread of settlement. Equallyexciting are demonstrations of irrigationsystems within the pastorally-dominatedfarmlands of the newcomers. The demise ofthe Norse settlements in Greenland duringthe late 14th and early 15th centuries continues to attractdebate, and pollen-based reconstructions of vegetationchange continue to help refine the chronologyof abandonment for individualfarms as part of this process.The material presented hereis just a small sample ofa considerable volume ofresearch. The fossil archivesare nature’s time capsules,capable of being opened bytechniques which are relativelyinexpensive compared tobig science, yet elegant in their power andcomprehensiveness. As investigators workingwithin the spheres of both environmental andcultural history, we continue to be excited byfindings of relevance to both the past and thefuture activities of human communities.“The fossilarchives arenature’s timecapsules.”Á Sondum, Sandoy, Faroe Islands, is located beneath the grass-roofedbuilding at the bottom right of the picture. © K Edwards