Middle Age Farm -Iceland
Dates: 16th July - 20th August 2012
Duration: 5 weeks
Number of UK Participants: 8
 |
 |
The Kot Excavations had been running in Iceland since 2006. The excavation is located in south-east Iceland, near the great volcano of Mt Hekla and is approximately a one hour drive to Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. The excavation was directed by Margret Hallmundsdóttir of the Árnessýsla Folk Museum and is in cooperation with the Nature Institute of the West Fjords and the Soil Conservation of Iceland. The latter owns the land where the excavation site is located.
The excavation focused on the recovery of a house which seems to have been abandoned before 1300 and archaeological data suggests that it might have been built as early as the Settlement Period (874 AD). The team had already excavated half the house with the rest of the house being unearthed in 2010 and 2011. The excavation was located near Mt Hekla and takes approximately 20 minutes in a jeep to get to the site from Gunnarsholt where the excavation team stayed at the Soil Conservation of Iceland accommodation.
 |
 |
 |
 |
This excavation allowed the students to get to know one of the best dating tools in archaeology, tephra layers and in Kot, there was plenty of tephra. The house is most likely to have been a small farm or shieling. What we know from the excavation in 2008 that it was definitely a house that people lived in. This is supported by the presence of buried bones and dark floor layers. This house seems to be different from all those that have been excavated in Iceland previously, so this will be a significant site for Icelandic Archaeology. The house is built from stone and turf and was filled with tephra from many eruptions and including the eruption in 1510.
 |
 |
For 2012, there has been a change to the site, so the group may split their placement between Hólar (TBC) and Hrafnseyri. Since 2003 Field school has been in Hólar in Hjaltadal, in collaboration with the University of Iceland and the University College.The first 2 years it was only for Icelandic students, but since 2005 has also been courses for foreign students in cooperation with the University of Oslo. Since 2010 students from England have been attending the field school
The courses take place during the summer and the duration of 4 weeks. Teaching is weekday in the form of lectures and field training.
The course will include an introduction to working as archaeologists, archaeological methods in Iceland, collection and processing of research data, preservation..
The objective of the training is to disseminate knowledge to students in as many areas of archaeological research and the opportunity to work on its various aspects, such as drawing, surveying, reporting and photography, sampling and analysis of data on the ground and finish them. They will also be appropriate to attempt to archaeological documentation for registration, recording and reporting.
The field school has great facilities. Students stay at the new student apartments that are equipped with kitchen, laundry and internet. Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel and there is also a swimming pool. Students will stay there for 3 weeks of their placement in Hólar field school.
Hrafnseyri is a farm in the west fjord by a fjord called Arnarfjörður
or Eagles fjord. The farm has grate importance for Icelanders. The national
hero Jón Sigurðsson was born there in 19.century. Jon was the
man that led the Icelandic nation to independence. Hrafnseyri was also a
great farm in the middle ages and most famous residence is Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson.
Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson was chief in the 12 to 13. century.
Hrafn was from one of the of the most large and noblesin Icelandic family's
. He is also considered the first educated physician in the country, was
educated from Salerno, Italy and more places. Hrafn built a fortress around
his farm, witch was a very grand farm in the middle ages. Hrafn treated
patients in Hrafnseyri and was known for good deeds. Never the less he was
beheaded outside his fram in 1213.
Hrafnseyri is in a beautiful fjord surrounded by high mountains,
next small village is 30 min away called Þingeyri and to get to the
biggest town in the westfjörd is one hour drive so the site is isolated.
The nature is spectacular and that makes up for the isolation,
from the site you can see whales in the fjord and not many sites have that.
The excavation will be on what is believed could be the middle age settlement
after a series of test trenches that were made in the summer of 2011.
Accomadation will be in Hrafnseyri, Students will have good opportunity to travel around the westfjörds. Hike and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Two weeks of the placement will be in Hrafnseyri starting this new and exciting excavation.
Read
the Report by Lara Hogg from the 2009 Excavation Team
Please bring clothes for all kinds of weather, including rain; bag, towel and swim wear (for swimming pool), camping bottle and solar protection cream; do not forget your sleeping bag. As the placement is located in a relatively remote part of Iceland, participants are highly recommended to take entertainment- dvds, laptop, books and ipod for the duration. Please note: that there will be 24 hours sunlight during the placement period.
 |
NOTE: Participants on all of our placements will now require a European Health Insurance CARD (EHIC). CLICK HERE to visit the external website and apply for your EHIC online. |
|
Middle Age Period |
|
Copper Age |
|
Stone Age |
|
Bronze-Age |
|
Roman Excavations |
|
Germany
Medieval |
|
|
|
Etruscan
|
|
Medieval Fortress
|
|
Early Christian Basilica
|