Wood procurement in Norse Greenland (11th to 15th c. AD)
TL;DR: In this article, the taxa of archaeological wood assemblages from five Norse sites in Greenland, the episcopal manor Garðar/Igaliku (O47), Tatsip Ataa Killeq (O172), Tasilikulooq(O171), Narsaq (O17a) and Garden under Sandet (GUS) were analyzed to determine whether the wood was native, import or driftwood.
About: This article is published in Journal of Archaeological Science.The article was published on 2021-10-01. It has received 4 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Driftwood & Sound (geography).
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors present data from taxonomic identifications on wood remains from five farmsteads in Norse Greenland where excavations have produced large collections of wood artefacts and wood debris.
Abstract: ABSTRACT In largely treeless Arctic and subarctic environments driftwood is a key raw material, and this was no less so in Norse Greenlandic society (AD 985–1450). Driftwood was used for various purposes such as construction, transport, tools, utensils and for decoration. It has been argued that driftwood was a non-renewable resource which by the fourteenth century led to timber shortage in Norse Greenland. This paper presents data from taxonomic identifications on wood remains from five farmsteads in Norse Greenland where excavations have produced large collections of wood artefacts and wood debris. The study shows that 67% of the combined assemblage (total of 8552 pieces) are non-native coniferous taxa, the majority of which came to Greenland as drift. The Norse farms had more or less equal proportions of driftwood. In addition, this study finds no significant change in driftwood availability throughout the Norse period in Greenland nor does the composition of driftwood taxa change.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors used microscopic anatomical analyses to determine the taxa and provenance of wood from five Norse Greenlandic sites and showed that while the needs of most households were met by local woodlands and driftwood, elite farms had access to timber imports from Northern Europe and North America.
Abstract: Abstract The native trees of Greenland are unsuitable for larger construction projects or shipbuilding. Instead, the Norse colonists (AD 985–1450) relied on driftwood and imported timber. The provenance and extent of these imports, however, remain understudied. Here, the author uses microscopic anatomical analyses to determine the taxa and provenance of wood from five Norse Greenlandic sites. The results show that while the needs of most households were met by local woodlands and driftwood, elite farms had access to timber imports from Northern Europe and North America. By demonstrating the range of timber sources used by the Greenland Norse, the results illustrate connectivity across the medieval North Atlantic world.
1 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a taxonomic analysis on artefacts and samples from five Norse Greenlandic sites (1000-1400 AD) showed that 36% of the combined assemblages (total of 8552 pieces) derive from native woodland.
Abstract: Wood was a key raw material for past societies and no less so in the Arctic region where woodland is sparse. When Norse settlers came to Greenland in the late tenth century AD, the pristine environment had not been affected by other humans for centuries. It has been assumed that the Norse had a negative effect on the environment, with drastic woodland clearance resulting in a more or less treeless landscape, contributing to the eventual demise of the Norse Greenlandic society. Recent palynological studies indicate that the environmental impact was in fact more complex. Wood taxonomic analyses on artefacts and samples from five Norse Greenlandic sites (1000–1400 AD) show that 36% of the combined assemblages (total of 8552 pieces) derive from native woodland. Mostly, it was used to make small-sized objects, but it was also an important source of nutrients, fuel, fodder and insulation. The proportion of native woodland was significantly higher on medium-sized farms than at the one high-status farm studied, indicating that socioeconomic factors impacted wood acquisition. Although local woodlands could not sustain all the timber needs of the Norse Greenlanders, it made up a substantial component of their wood procurement strategies.
1 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive review of historical and archaeological research on the exploitation of driftwood timber in the Medieval North Atlantic and explores potential future directions in this field can be found in this article , where the authors argue that this line of research should be pursued with some urgency, as anthropogenic climate change threatens both driftwood delivery and the preservation of archaeological wood remains.
Abstract:
The North Atlantic islands of the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland have always been relatively poor in terms of native timber resources, due to their cold climate and exposed topography. Nevertheless, timber was vital to the material culture of the Norse settlers of these islands, and driftwood often met this need. As in subarctic Norway, where trees are also scarce, driftwood use and ownership were prescribed in medieval law codes. Historical documentary evidence shows that wealthy landowners bought driftwood rights as valuable assets, and ethnohistorical sources reveal a wide range of local and regional customs related to driftwood exploitation. However, driftwood was an unstable resource, and its delivery depended on a range of unpredictable factors related to climate and ocean currents. There is also ongoing debate regarding the relative importance of imported timber, which is for example often referenced in the Icelandic sagas. The use of driftwood is difficult to demonstrate through macroscopic, microscopic, or (geo-)chemical analysis. Similarities in the microscopic anatomy of boreal wood taxa preclude definitive provenancing through taxonomic analysis, and material traces of immersion in seawater are often either impermanent or ambiguous, especially in archaeological wood remains. This paper presents a comprehensive review of current historical and archaeological research on the exploitation of driftwood timber in the Medieval North Atlantic and explores potential future directions in this field. Furthermore, it asserts that this line of research should be pursued with some urgency, as anthropogenic climate change threatens both driftwood delivery and the preservation of archaeological wood remains.
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