Dawn Elise Mooney

Bio: Dawn Elise Mooney is an academic researcher from University of Stavanger. The author has contributed to research in topics: Driftwood & Archaeology. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 6 publications receiving 37 citations. Previous affiliations of Dawn Elise Mooney include University of Iceland.

Examining Possible Driftwood Use in Viking Age Icelandic Boats

Abstract: While boat and ship graves are known from across northern Europe, and are particularly associated with the Viking Age, only seven examples of such monuments have been excavated in Iceland. Furthermore, no shipwrecks are known dating from this period in Iceland, and examples of boat timbers preserved by waterlogging are very rare. As such, the mineralized wood remains from these burials comprise the vast majority of direct archaeological evidence currently available for the boats used in daily life in early Iceland. This paper uses taxonomic identification of mineralized wood remains from the Icelandic boat graves, along with comparative data from Europe and Scandinavia, to discuss boat construction and repair in early Iceland, including the possibilities of driftwood utilization and the importation of boats from Norway. The economic and social significance of the practice of boat burial in Iceland is also explored, with regard to the importance of boats as transport and the limited availability of wood su...

Does the ‘Marine Signature’ of Driftwood Persist in the Archaeological Record? An Experimental Case Study from Iceland

Abstract: The limited native tree flora of Iceland, combined with the decline in native woodlands following the settlement of the island in the late ninth century AD, led to a very limited availability of ti...

Charred Fucus-Type Seaweed in the North Atlantic: A Survey of Finds and Potential Uses

Abstract: Seaweed forms an important element of diet in many parts of the world and has a wide variety of other uses due to its high mineral content. However, while seaweed remains are relatively frequently ...

Multi-proxy dating of Iceland's major pre-settlement Katla eruption to 822-823 CE

Abstract: U. Buntgen received funding from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of CR within the National Sustainability Program I (NPU I; GN LO1415), and additional support was provided by NSF grant 0909541. We are particularly thankful to the NEEM project and its participants.

Evidence for European presence in the Americas in ad 1021

Abstract: Transatlantic exploration took place centuries before the crossing of Columbus. Physical evidence for early European presence in the Americas can be found in Newfoundland, Canada1,2. However, it has thus far not been possible to determine when this activity took place3–5. Here we provide evidence that the Vikings were present in Newfoundland in ad 1021. We overcome the imprecision of previous age estimates by making use of the cosmic-ray-induced upsurge in atmospheric radiocarbon concentrations in ad 993 (ref. 6). Our new date lays down a marker for European cognisance of the Americas, and represents the first known point at which humans encircled the globe. It also provides a definitive tie point for future research into the initial consequences of transatlantic activity, such as the transference of knowledge, and the potential exchange of genetic information, biota and pathologies7,8. Precise dating of wooden artefacts at a Norse settlement in Newfoundland establishes that the Norse were in the Americas in ad 1021.