Settlements at Stöð
Type:
Settlements,
Secular architecture
Date:
Ninth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Iceland
Description:
In 2007, the remains of a Viking longhouse built around 874 were discovered at Stöð (Stöðvarfjörður fjord in East Iceland). The 30-meter-long hall was once covered in turf and thatch and subdivided into rooms for communal living. Excavation of the site began in 2015 and uncovered glass beads, rings, and coins (including coins from the Islamicate world). Below the longhouse, archaeologists discovered an even older, 40-meter-long structure (ca. 800). It may have been a seasonal hunting camp set up before the era of permanent settlement in Iceland.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
5
Repository and Online Resources:
• Read more about the discoveries Stöð on the Iceland Review website.
• Watch drone footage of the archaeological site.
• See a fragmentary coin with Arabic writing discovered at Stöð.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
Tags:
Northern European,
Arabic,
Coins,
Domestic
