Graduate European Archaeology Skills Exchange (GrEASE)
ICELAND- FULL
Placement dates: 23rd June- 18th August 2008
Duration: 8 weeks
Number of places: 6
The following details have been provided by the host partners in Iceland. After you have read these details click here to read the project report.
The participants in the Leonardo da Vinci project GrEASE will participate in the ongoing archaeological project, Monastic Activities at Skriðuklaustur. The project is expected to last for six years, from 2002 - 2008 (see attached description). The main subject of the project is an excavation on the medieval monastic ruins at Skriðuklaustur in Fljótsdalur valley, East Iceland.
The project is run by Skriðuklaustursrannsóknir (SKR) for The Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson (Gunnarsstofnun), The East Iceland Heritage Museum and The National Museum of Iceland. The Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson (Icelandic: Gunnarsstofnun) is located at Skriðuklaustur.
The archaeological project Monastic Activities at Skriðuklaustur was begun in January 2002. Its aim is to investigate the Augustinian monastery that was operated on the farmstead Skriða in Fljótsdalur Valley, East Iceland, during the period from 1493 to the Reformation in 1550. Despite its short tenure, the monastery acquired a large amount of land, and its library was comparable to that of other Icelandic cloisters. It is known that both a hospice and a children's school was operated there. The ruins of the monastery reaches over approximately 1200 m2 large area, including a church, cemetery, monastic houses and a garden. The skeletal material from the cemetery indicates strongly that the Augustinians at the Skriðuklaustur monastery it ran a hospice for sick and elderly people. Botanic evidences as well as surgical equipments designate both medical as well as surgical knowledge was to be found in the monastery during its running. During 2007 excavations will be continued on two rooms of the monastic building, inside the church's nave and cemetery.
The investigation at the monastery at Skriða is a collaborative project of the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavík and two institutions whose sphere of activity involves East Iceland heritage and cultural research. These two institutions are East Iceland Heritage Museum in Egilsstaðir and Institution of Gunnar Gunnarson at Skriðuklaustur. The project manager is archaeologist Dr. Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, assistant professor at the National Museum of Iceland and University of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland, http://www.hug.hi.is/page/sjk_e The financial resources will come from the Icelandic Government, different European Union funds, Research Council of Iceland, University of Iceland Research Fund, Icelandic Student´s Innovation Fund, and the institutions directly involved. The project is presented during the summers on the web page http://www.skriduklaustur.is
The Excavation
The excavation season in 2008 will last from June 23rd to 18th August. A usual
working day is Monday to Thursday from 8-17, Fridays from 8-12. Each participant
needs also to spend one weekend during the season at the site helping with
guiding visitors. Participants are urged to bring suitable clothing for cold
days as well as for warm days at the excavation. The weather can change from
5° C to 25° C. On days with heavy rain the team will work at the conservation
lab at Skriðuklaustur with excavated material, i.e. cleaning and packing
artifacts, preparing samples and so on. There will be a shed on the site,
where the participators will get coffee or tea at 10 and 15. A common lunch
for the participants will be served at Skriðuklaustur at lunch time every
working day. All equipments needed for the excavation are provided by the
project and an overall (not waterproof).
Other practical information
The site Skriðuklaustur is located approximately 45 km away from Egilsstadir,
the largest towns in East Iceland. The town has 2000 inhabitants. There is
an international as well as internal airport, hospital, pubs and most common
kinds of stores, tourist center, swimming pool (out-door) and museums. A ferry,
sailing between Norway, Faeroe Islands and Iceland, stops at Seydisfjordur
harbour, 25 km away from Egilsstaðir, once a week. Also Hallormsstaður,
the main Forestry in Iceland and the largest forest in Iceland, is located
approximately 15 km away from Skriðuklaustur. At Hallormsstaður there
is a hotel, petrol station, small shop, swimming pool (out-door), and horse
renting.
The team members (approximately 18 persons) will be housed in a cabin at place called Teigur during the excavation period. It is located 10 km away from the site at Skriðuklaustur further down the Fljótsdalur valley. At Teigur, there are seven single rooms and four double rooms, a living room, kitchen and two bathrooms with showers. In the rooms, there is a bead, a table and a closet. Sleeping bags are needed. Suitable clothes and shoes for the work at the site are recommended and better clothes for evenings and weekends. Participants also need to bring towels, swimming suits (recommended) and books, DVDs, etc. for entertainment in the evening. An access to a washing-machine is at Skriðuklaustur, as is a computer with internet for the participants to use. Participants can also bring their own lap-tops to use in the cabins at Teigur. The team will have access to cars to drive between the site and Teigur, and for tours to Egilsstaðir or Hallormsstaður. The participants can also rent the car for low price for longer trips on the weekends (permission needed).
Skriðuklaustur (including the excavation site) is located the Fljótsdalur valley 40 km away from Egilsstadir, the largest towns in East Iceland. The town has approximately 2000 inhabitants. There is an airport (flight to Düsseldorf on Fridays, to Reykjavik 4 times per day), hospital, supermarket and all other kinds of common stores. Tourist center, swimming pool and museums (http://www.egilsstadir.is/english/).
Skriðuklaustur is an old farmstead, standing by the end of the 80 km long lake Lagarfljót. The lake goes from the river Jökulsá, coming from Vatnajökull, in the south to the Atlantic Sea in the north. Fljótsdalur valley is lying in the inland, with farmsteads located on each site of the lake. There is a road going up to the highlands from Bessastaðir, the next farmstead to Skriðuklaustur. Iceland's largest forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur, is 10 km away to the north of Skriðuklaustur. The Forestry of Iceland have their headquarters there. By the far end of Fljótsdalur valley is the highest mountain of Iceland, Snæfell.
Once Skriðuklaustur was the residence home of one of Icelanders' most famous writer Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889-1975). His home is now open for visit. Today it is run and managed by The Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson (Gunnarsstofnun). On behalf of the institute there, lectures are held regularly, exhibitions open and other cultural activities. Klausturkaffi (Café Monastery) is also located in the house of Gunnar Gunnarsson. Skriðuklaustur is one of the most popular place to visit in East Iceland, with 10 000 guests every year. Please look at the following links for further information:
http://www.skriduklaustur.is/ensksida/ensgunnar/gunnar.htm
http://www.skriduklaustur.is/ensksida/klaustrid/klaustrid.htm
'Monastic Activities At Skriđuklaustur' project manager
Mob. +354 862 8543
Email: steinunn@akademia.is
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Images from the Excavation in 2007
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Images from Previous Excavations
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