essay

Contributions to the zooarchaeology of Iceland: some preliminary notes

anthropology of icelandIowa City • Published In 1989 • Pages: 203-227

By: Amorosi, Thomas.

Abstract
One of the more important tools in paleoeconomic reconstruction is zooarchaeology (or archaeozoology), a technique of faunal analysis which attempts to use excavated animal bone collection to gain an understanding of the relative importance of different species to past economies, seasonal patterns in exploitation, and changing herding strategies (p. 203). In this paper the author applies this technique to excavated animal bones from several sites located in the northeastern and southern coastal regions of Iceland. In the second part of this work Amorosi discusses to some length the '…impact of climatic change on Icelandic settlement and of the impact of the Icelandic settlement upon the island's natural resources: proposing a combination of climatic deterioration and environmental degradation as partial causes for the country's declining fortunes in late medieval and early modern times' (p. 214).
Subjects
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Climate
Fauna
Prehistory
Historical reconstruction
Domesticated animals
Environmental quality
culture
Icelanders
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
Europe
Sub Region
Scandinavia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Types
Ethnologist
Archaeologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2002
Field Date
ca. 1980s
Coverage Date
1400-1799
Coverage Place
northeastern and southern coasts of Iceland
Notes
Thomas Amorosi
Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-227)
LCCN
894657
LCSH
Icelanders