Examining Possible Driftwood Use in Viking Age Icelandic Boats

Bibliographic Data

ID6095407
AuthorsD Mooney (0000-0002-3115-4657, University of Iceland, corresponding author), Dawn Elise Mooney (University of Iceland)
Year2016
Volume49
Issue2
Pages156-176
Publication date2016-07-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNorwegian Archaeological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0029-3652 • E-ISSN: 1502-7678
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00293652.2016.1211734
OpenAlexW2486299124
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited30

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 suitable for boat construction and repair

Archaeology · Art · Geography · Icelandic · Period (music) · Viking Age · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

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