Mike Church (Durham University) Ascough P.A., Cook G.T., Dugmore...
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Timing and mechanisms of deforestation during the Norse settlement period in Iceland Mike Church (Durham University) Ascough P.A., Cook G.T., Dugmore A.J., Edwards K.J., Einnarsson Á., Gathorne-Hardy, F.J., Lawson I.T., Mairs K.A., McGovern, T.H., Millard A.R., Newton, A. J., Streeter R., Roucoux K., Sveinbjarnardóttir G.
Transcript of Mike Church (Durham University) Ascough P.A., Cook G.T., Dugmore...
Timing and mechanisms of deforestation during the Norse settlement period in Iceland
Mike Church (Durham University)
Ascough P.A., Cook G.T., Dugmore A.J., Edwards K.J., Einnarsson Á., Gathorne-Hardy, F.J., Lawson I.T., Mairs K.A., McGovern, T.H.,
Millard A.R., Newton, A. J., Streeter R., Roucoux K., Sveinbjarnardóttir G.
Icelandic woodlands before settlement c. 27% of area
An ecological disaster?Case study = deforestation in Iceland
• Icelandic woodlands now c. 1% of area• Over 40% of soil lost since landnám
Birch
Grass
Cereals
Initial interpretations (e.g. Hallsdóttir 1996)
North AtlanticOcean
Reykjavik
K920E935 H1341
K1500
V871
Charcoal production pit
Charcoal analysis• Reducing environment produces
superb preservation (fragments of burnt leaf!).
• Charcoal from all 25 pits was mostly birch with a little willow.
• Evidence for live pruning and seasonality through recovery of hundreds of buds = cut in May/June.
• Evidence for branch stripping, perhaps akin to coppicing… managing the resource.
• Dating the pits… opportunity to combine radiocarbon dating of charcoal with tephrochronology.
From Church et al. 2007 in Radiocarbon
Helluvaðstjörn map
Helluvaðstjörn
The first pollen sequence from Mývatnssveit (Lawson et al. 2007)
Surrounded by Viking-age archaeological sites
1. Betula pubescens and Juniperus decline together to 1300 AD
2. Initial response is expansion of Cyperaceae
3. After AD 1300 heath/mire taxa, especially Empetrum, expand
Modern ecology e.g. Roucoux et al. 2007
Modern vegetation surveys
Slow SAR means spotting charcoal pits much easier
Atmospheric data from Reimer et al (2004);OxCal v3.10 Bronk Ramsey (2005); cub r:5 sd:12 prob usp[chron]
400CalAD 600CalAD 800CalAD 1000CalAD 1200CalAD 1400CalAD 1600CalAD
Calibrated date
HOSK N CP1 925±35BP
HOSK N CP16 970±35BP
HOSK N CP17L 965±35BP
HOSK N CP17S 945±35BP
HOSK N CP19 895±35BP
HOSK N CP2 990±35BP
HOSK N CP23 935±35BP
HOSK N CP3 820±35BP
HOSK N CP5 890±35BP
2009 fieldwork:• Sampled 5 more charcoal pit clusters• Sampled 10 more lakes for pollen
“The papers in this volume signify an increasing maturity to the archaeological literature in Iceland. I think it not too premature to claim that Icelandic archaeology is moving up a new level of sophistication, fostered in large part by the inter- disciplinary and international nature of its work.”
Gavin Lucas in the Editorial of Archaeologia Islandica 6 in 2006.
