Preliminary Report 2021: Coring and Excavations at Hof in Hjaltadalur

Authors

John M. Steinberg, University of Massachusetts BostonFollow
Zachary N. Guttman, University of Massachusetts BostonFollow
Guðný Zoëga, Háskólinn á HólumFollow

Document Type

Research Report

Publication Date

2022

Abstract

This report outlines the 2021 work at Hof as part of the Hjaltadalur Archaeological Survey Project (HASP). The results of soil coring suggest that the site of Hof is relatively small compared to other settlement farms. The footprint of the farmstead expands substantially after the 11^th Century. The midden from the 11^th and 12^th centuries appears to be located just north of the main farmhouse (Hof 1). Cores from this area show an abundance of midden on either side of the white AD 1104 tephra. There is a notable absence of post-1300 midden deposits. The excavation unit dug on the main farm mound supports this conclusion. The other two excavation units placed in the fields to the west and north of the main farm mound show evidence of post-1104 midden and the expansion of the farmstead. The coring and excavations suggest that many of the visible ruins at Hof are remnants of the occupation in the 12^th and 13^th centuries. Overall, this data suggests that Hof was occupied from before 1104 to sometime around 1300 before being abandoned as a fully functioning farm.

Recommended Citation

Steinberg, John M.; Guttman, Zachary N.; and Zoëga, Guðný, "Preliminary Report 2021: Coring and Excavations at Hof in Hjaltadalur" (2022). Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications. 18.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/fiskecenter_pubs/18

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