The Archaeology of Z: Household Economies in Nineteenth-Century Iceland

Ágústa Edwald Maxwell; Gavin Murray Lucas

doi:10.1007/s41636-020-00278-w

The Archaeology of Z: Household Economies in Nineteenth-Century Iceland

Ágústa Edwald Maxwell, Gavin Murray Lucas

University of Iceland

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

Abstract

A substantial and rapid increase in consumer goods has been detected in the archaeological record from Iceland during the 19th century. This article considers the impact of this change on household routines. Drawing inspiration from economics and Becker’s concept of Z commodities, the analysis seeks to blur the distinction between consumption and production by comparing the demands made on household resources by two different sets of tasks: firstly, those presented by the introduction of new materials related to coffee, and, secondly, those required by the traditional materials of butter production. The article illustrates the ways everyday routines are altered with the introduction of new materials and suggests that the productive work involved in consumption may be a key factor in how people and materials become entangled and mutually dependent.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	238-249
Number of pages	12
Journal	Historical Archaeology
Volume	55
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-020-00278-w
Publication status	Published - Jun 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information: This research received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 748698. Thanks are due to Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir Beck, who provided valuable insights into locally made coffee grinders, and to Orri Vésteinsson and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this article. Funding Information: This research received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 748698. Thanks are due to S?lveig Gu?mundsd?ttir Beck, who provided valuable insights into locally made coffee grinders, and to Orri V?steinsson and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this article. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Society for Historical Archaeology.

Other keywords

Z commodities
consumption
household routines
production

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10.1007/s41636-020-00278-w

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title = "The Archaeology of Z: Household Economies in Nineteenth-Century Iceland",

abstract = "A substantial and rapid increase in consumer goods has been detected in the archaeological record from Iceland during the 19th century. This article considers the impact of this change on household routines. Drawing inspiration from economics and Becker{\textquoteright}s concept of Z commodities, the analysis seeks to blur the distinction between consumption and production by comparing the demands made on household resources by two different sets of tasks: firstly, those presented by the introduction of new materials related to coffee, and, secondly, those required by the traditional materials of butter production. The article illustrates the ways everyday routines are altered with the introduction of new materials and suggests that the productive work involved in consumption may be a key factor in how people and materials become entangled and mutually dependent.",

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The Archaeology of Z: Household Economies in Nineteenth-Century Iceland

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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