Local‐scale adaptations: A modeled assessment of soil, landscape, microclimatic, and management factors in Norse home‐field productivities

Abstract

Adaptation of farming practices to inherent site conditions was essential to the success of Norse colonization in pristine landscapes. A key factor in the initial success of colonization, or landnám, of Iceland was management of the area adjacent to the domestic dwelling, the home-field, to provide fodder for over-wintering livestock. In this paper we examine three settlement home-fields in the Mývatn and Laxá valley area of northeast Iceland. Contemporary evidence reveals a distinct climatic toposequence together with differences in the nature of the inherent soils between sites. By considering the influence of these differences, microscale adaptations in early land management practices in the production of hay are sought within a tightly defined chronological context. Using an integrated agroecosystem modeling approach, the factors affecting long-term sustainability of hay production in the Norse home-field are examined. Results indicate that regional-level climate differences will have an impact on production, especially pronounced cold periods. It is also clear that small-scale climate factors, as well as inherent soil differences between sites influenced productivity for the Norse farmer. However, productivities overall are at subsistence level, emphasizing the need for optimized land management to sustain home-field production. After examining different management scenarios, it is apparent that the effect of an increased rate of manuring will be most apparent during the first century of settlement; thereafter the effect is relatively diminished.

Temporal and Spatial Variations in Freshwater14C Reservoir Effects: Lake Mývatn, Northern Iceland

“…Meints et al 1975;Sah 2005). Fertilization may also have formed a significant part of Norse agricultural practices in Mývatnssveit Adderley et al 2008). Importantly, the range of  15 N values in archaeological and modern terrestrial herbivores (1.0‰ to 6.2‰) shows considerable overlap with the  15 N values of both modern and archaeological freshwater fish from Mývatn (i.e.…”

The DaVincis of dirt: Geoarchaeological perspectives on Native American mound building in the Mississippi River basin

“…Attention to anthropogenic sediments, at a range of stratigraphic scales and temporal resolutions, is now actively engaging questions that include: the organization of space in contexts from urban centers (e.g., Albert et al, 2008;Matthews, 1995), caves (e.g., Goldberg and Sherwood, 2006); burning activity, including fuel use (e.g., Albert et al, 2000), floor construction and preparations (e.g., Berna et al, 2007;Macphail et al, 2004), and soil fertility (e.g., Adderley et al, 2008;Guttmann et al, 2008). Such a geoarchaeological approach to mound stratigraphy provides a framework for the study of building and engineering techniques and data to draw inferences on the labor involved with that construction.…”

7 Were the Vikings Really Green? Environmental Degradation and Social Inequality in Iceland's Second Nature Landscape

“…). However, this shift was accompanied by the expansion and increased anthropogenic enrichment of hayfields (Adderley, Simpson, and Vésteinsson ; Bolender ; Simpson et al. ), and may have been in part a deliberate modification to make the landscape better suited to sheep‐focused pastoral agriculture, building upon the initial conversion of woodland to pastureland.…”

“…The shift from traditional Norse farming strategies to an increased reliance on sheep and fodder production has often been viewed as a response to environmental degradation and the development of ecological practices more suitable to the island (Amorosi et al 1997;Dugmore et al 2005;McGovern et al 2007). However, this shift was accompanied by the expansion and increased anthropogenic enrichment of hayfields (Adderley, Simpson, and Vésteinsson 2008;Bolender 2006;Simpson et al 2002), and may have been in part a deliberate modification to make the landscape better suited to sheep-focused pastoral agriculture, building upon the initial conversion of woodland to pastureland.…”