Fuel resource utilisation in landscapes of settlement

Ian A. Simpson; Orri Vésteinsson; W. Paul Adderley; Thomas H. McGovern

doi:10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9

Fuel resource utilisation in landscapes of settlement

Ian A. Simpson, Orri Vésteinsson, W. Paul Adderley, Thomas H. McGovern

Faculty of Philosophy, History and Archaeology

University of Iceland

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

One little understood aspect of the settlement and colonisation of Iceland is fuel resource use. In this paper we identify fuel ash residues from temporally constrained middens at two contrasting settlement age sites in Mývatnssveit, northern Iceland, one high status, the other low status and ultimately abandoned. Fuel residues derived from experimental combustion of historically defined fuel resources are used to provide control for thin section micromorphology and complementary image analyses of fuel residue materials found in the midden deposits. The results suggest that fuel resources utilised at the time of settlement were for both low temperature and high temperature use, and included a mix of birch and willow wood, peat, mineral-based turf and cow dung. There are, however, marked variations in the mix of fuel resources utilised at the two sites. This is considered to reflect social regulation of fuel resources and socially driven changes to local and regional environments that may have contributed to the success or failure of early settlement sites in Iceland.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1401-1420
Number of pages	20
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science
Volume	30
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9
Publication status	Published - Nov 2003

Bibliographical note

Funding Information: Ian Simpson gratefully acknowledges support from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Leverhulme Trust and the US National Science Foundation. Orri Vésteinsson gratefully acknowledges the support of the Icelandic Research Council and the Mývatn Research Station. Paul Adderley kindly acknowledges the support of the Leverhulme Trust. Tom McGovern gratefully acknowledges generoussupport from the US National Science Foundation (Archaeology and Arctic Social Sciences programs), the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, and the PSC-CUNY grants program. George Macleod manufactured the thin sections at the University of Stirling. Tables and figures were produced by Bill Jamieson at the University of Stirling. Matt Canti of English Heritage offered invaluable advice during the early stages of this project.

Other keywords

Historical ecology
Iceland
Image analyses
North Atlantic region
Settlement landscapes
Thin section micromorphology
Traditional fuel use

Access to Document

10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9

Cite this

@article{8132efe1760248a0b870fbef7a4a1c5c,

title = "Fuel resource utilisation in landscapes of settlement",

abstract = "One little understood aspect of the settlement and colonisation of Iceland is fuel resource use. In this paper we identify fuel ash residues from temporally constrained middens at two contrasting settlement age sites in M{\'y}vatnssveit, northern Iceland, one high status, the other low status and ultimately abandoned. Fuel residues derived from experimental combustion of historically defined fuel resources are used to provide control for thin section micromorphology and complementary image analyses of fuel residue materials found in the midden deposits. The results suggest that fuel resources utilised at the time of settlement were for both low temperature and high temperature use, and included a mix of birch and willow wood, peat, mineral-based turf and cow dung. There are, however, marked variations in the mix of fuel resources utilised at the two sites. This is considered to reflect social regulation of fuel resources and socially driven changes to local and regional environments that may have contributed to the success or failure of early settlement sites in Iceland.",

keywords = "Historical ecology, Iceland, Image analyses, North Atlantic region, Settlement landscapes, Thin section micromorphology, Traditional fuel use",

author = "Simpson, \{Ian A.\} and Orri V{\'e}steinsson and Adderley, \{W. Paul\} and McGovern, \{Thomas H.\}",

note = "Funding Information: Ian Simpson gratefully acknowledges support from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Leverhulme Trust and the US National Science Foundation. Orri V{\'e}steinsson gratefully acknowledges the support of the Icelandic Research Council and the M{\'y}vatn Research Station. Paul Adderley kindly acknowledges the support of the Leverhulme Trust. Tom McGovern gratefully acknowledges generoussupport from the US National Science Foundation (Archaeology and Arctic Social Sciences programs), the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, and the PSC-CUNY grants program. George Macleod manufactured the thin sections at the University of Stirling. Tables and figures were produced by Bill Jamieson at the University of Stirling. Matt Canti of English Heritage offered invaluable advice during the early stages of this project.",

year = "2003",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9",

language = "English",

volume = "30",

pages = "1401--1420",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science",

issn = "0305-4403",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "11",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fuel resource utilisation in landscapes of settlement

AU - Simpson, Ian A.

AU - Vésteinsson, Orri

AU - Adderley, W. Paul

AU - McGovern, Thomas H.

N1 - Funding Information: Ian Simpson gratefully acknowledges support from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Leverhulme Trust and the US National Science Foundation. Orri Vésteinsson gratefully acknowledges the support of the Icelandic Research Council and the Mývatn Research Station. Paul Adderley kindly acknowledges the support of the Leverhulme Trust. Tom McGovern gratefully acknowledges generoussupport from the US National Science Foundation (Archaeology and Arctic Social Sciences programs), the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, and the PSC-CUNY grants program. George Macleod manufactured the thin sections at the University of Stirling. Tables and figures were produced by Bill Jamieson at the University of Stirling. Matt Canti of English Heritage offered invaluable advice during the early stages of this project.

PY - 2003/11

Y1 - 2003/11

N2 - One little understood aspect of the settlement and colonisation of Iceland is fuel resource use. In this paper we identify fuel ash residues from temporally constrained middens at two contrasting settlement age sites in Mývatnssveit, northern Iceland, one high status, the other low status and ultimately abandoned. Fuel residues derived from experimental combustion of historically defined fuel resources are used to provide control for thin section micromorphology and complementary image analyses of fuel residue materials found in the midden deposits. The results suggest that fuel resources utilised at the time of settlement were for both low temperature and high temperature use, and included a mix of birch and willow wood, peat, mineral-based turf and cow dung. There are, however, marked variations in the mix of fuel resources utilised at the two sites. This is considered to reflect social regulation of fuel resources and socially driven changes to local and regional environments that may have contributed to the success or failure of early settlement sites in Iceland.

AB - One little understood aspect of the settlement and colonisation of Iceland is fuel resource use. In this paper we identify fuel ash residues from temporally constrained middens at two contrasting settlement age sites in Mývatnssveit, northern Iceland, one high status, the other low status and ultimately abandoned. Fuel residues derived from experimental combustion of historically defined fuel resources are used to provide control for thin section micromorphology and complementary image analyses of fuel residue materials found in the midden deposits. The results suggest that fuel resources utilised at the time of settlement were for both low temperature and high temperature use, and included a mix of birch and willow wood, peat, mineral-based turf and cow dung. There are, however, marked variations in the mix of fuel resources utilised at the two sites. This is considered to reflect social regulation of fuel resources and socially driven changes to local and regional environments that may have contributed to the success or failure of early settlement sites in Iceland.

KW - Historical ecology

KW - Iceland

KW - Image analyses

KW - North Atlantic region

KW - Settlement landscapes

KW - Thin section micromorphology

KW - Traditional fuel use

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0141890724

U2 - 10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9

DO - 10.1016/S0305-4403(03)00035-9

M3 - Article

SN - 0305-4403

VL - 30

SP - 1401

EP - 1420

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science

IS - 11

ER -

Fuel resource utilisation in landscapes of settlement

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Other keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this