Fornbyli Landscape and Archaeological Survey on Hegranes (FLASH) Interim Report 2016, Iceland

In 2016, the Fornbyli Landscape and Archaeological Survey on Hegranes (FLASH) project and the Skagafjordur Church and Settlement Survey (SCASS) continued survey and excavation in and around known outlying ruins and archaeological places (fornbyli) on the farms of As (Naefursstadur), Keflavik (including Kriki and Thraelagerdi), Egg (Minni-Egg), Helluland (Haagerdi and Kotid), and Hamar (Hendilkot) on Hegranes in Skagafjordur, North Iceland. The work was performed to meet the goals of Kathryn Catlin's doctoral dissertation research towards her PhD at Northwestern University as part of the Skagafjordur Church and Settlement Survey (SCASS). Additional coring by SCASS in 2016 at the outlying fields of Gardur (Hegranesthing), Keta, Rip, Utanverdunes, Keflavik, Egg (including Rein), Helluland (including Asgrimsstadir), and Hamar are described in separate reports, along with specific details and analysis of the farmsteads at these major sites. The FLASH research had two primary purposes: first, to locate, date, and to the extent possible, characterize the nature of the activities performed at the fornbyli locations; and second, to describe and understand the sequences of soil erosion, sediment deposition, and landscape change that have occurred on Hegranes, both near and distant from the fornbyli sites and the major farms, since the settlement of Iceland ca. 870 AD. Coring was employed by FLASH and SCASS to (1) determine the establishment date and extent of the medieval settlements and farmsteads; (2) locate areas of human activity and measure soil depth in the fields immediately surrounding the medieval settlements; and (3) determine the dates, use, and environmental context of fornbyli sites. Preliminary interpretations of the work suggest that many fornbyli were inhabited early, that the sites were reused after habitation ceased for multiple purposes through the medieval period and later, and that the overall landscape of Hegranes has been subject to significant erosion and alteration over the course of its history. Most of the fornbyli were inhabited prior to ca. 950 AD, and several of them were relatively large during the 10th and 11th centuries, comparable in size to farms that would later become much larger and more successful. Others seem only to have been inhabited for a short time, perhaps as a temporary or seasonal work site. None show evidence of habitation much after ca. 1104, and from that time until after the late 18th century, many of the sites were rebuilt as farm infrastructure for livestock management, only to be finally abandoned and fall to ruin before the 20th century. Preliminary environmental analysis suggests two significant periods of erosion: prior to 1104, and after 1766, roughly corresponding to the periods when the use of the sites was changing. The relationship between mire development and site use will be further investigated in 2017, along with the character and timing of habitation at the remaining sites.