Iceland

Iceland: Are the Lewis chessmen from Iceland?

Scandinavian and British experts meeting at an academic conference in Reykjavík have been debating the origin of the 12th-century Lewis Chessmen, a…

Volcanic eruptions have helped Icelandic archaeologists pin down to within one or two years the earliest settlement of the island. The 2001…

An account of the new discovery of a 9th century Viking pagan boat burial - the first to be discovered in Iceland…

The archaeology of post-medieval fishing and trading sites along the coasts of Iceland…

Latest news from our sister site the-past.com

Enigmatic Roman building complex discovered at Scarborough
Current theories suggest that it could be a villa or possibly a religious sanctuary, but it probably will not be until post-excavation analysis is complete that a more definitive idea of the site’s use will be determined.
Highlights of the latest Treasure Report
The most recent Treasure Annual Report, which covers finds made in 2018, has been released by the British Museum. In total, 1,094 cases were reported as Treasure for that year, comprising over 20,906 individual artefacts. Of those reported, 347 have since been acquired by over 100 different museums across the country, and the vast majority of these (93%) were acquired by museums local to the findspot. Coinciding with the report’s launch, the British Museum announced some star discoveries among recent Treasure finds. One of the most unusual and quirky finds was a medieval ‘snail man’ mount (above) found near Pontefract
Neolithic salt production at Street House?
Many of these characteristics bear a close resemblance to other salt-production sites in Britain from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and are features in common with known Neolithic salterns from the Continent.
Connecting the dots: analysing skeletal remains with limited context
Overall, these results seem to be consistent with lay individuals who may have entered into a monastic life as children and subsequently gained access to a higher-status diet.