Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir
University of Iceland, Archaeology, Faculty Member
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About fifteen illustrated cloths have been preserved from medieval times in Iceland. One of them is an antependium from Svalbarð church on Svalbarðsströnd. The embroidered iconography on it is believed to depict the story of John the... more
About fifteen illustrated cloths have been preserved from medieval times in Iceland. One of them is an antependium from Svalbarð church on Svalbarðsströnd. The embroidered iconography on it is believed to depict the story of John the Apostle, who was the patron saint of the Svalbarð church. Upon closer inspection, the cloth appears to have been cut from a larger cloth, most likely a wall-hanging, in order to be used as an antependium. Moreover, the story that is embroidered on it seems to be related to secular people, because none of those appearing on it have halos around their heads, but halos are generally used in iconography to differentiate sanctified people from seculars. In this article, this discovery is discussed, and a theory that the embroidery shows the story of the most prominent woman of medieval Iceland, Ólöf the Rich, is proposed.
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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Research Interests: History and Viking Age
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Palaeoecological research in Iceland has rarely considered the environmental consequences of landlord-tenant relations and has only recently begun to investigate the impact of medieval monasticism on Icelandic environment and society.... more
Palaeoecological research in Iceland has rarely considered the environmental consequences of landlord-tenant relations and has only recently begun to investigate the impact of medieval monasticism on Icelandic environment and society. Through the medium of two tenant farm sites, this investigation seeks to discern whether or not monastic landlords were influencing resource exploitation and the land management practices of their tenants. In particular, sedimentary and phyto-social contexts were examined and set within a chronological and palaeoecological framework from the late 9th century down to the 16th century. How this relates to medieval European monasticism is also considered while the prevailing influences of climate and volcanism are acknowledged. Palaeoecological data shed light upon the process of occupation at the two farms during the settlement period, with resources and land use trajectories already well-established by the time they were acquired by monastic institutions. This suggests that the tenant farms investigated were largely unaffected ecologically by absorption into a manorial system overseen by monasticism. This could be a consequence of prevailing environmental contexts that inhibited the development of alternative agricultural strategies, or simply that a different emphasis with regard to resource exploitation was paramount.
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... The distinct, though similar, branches of Christianity are traced through the archaeological record, where the excavation of an Early Medieval timber church and graveyard at Thórarinsstadhir in Seydhisfjördhur is used as a basic... more
... The distinct, though similar, branches of Christianity are traced through the archaeological record, where the excavation of an Early Medieval timber church and graveyard at Thórarinsstadhir in Seydhisfjördhur is used as a basic source. ...
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Research Interests: Botany, Archaeology, Horticulture, Archaeobotany, Cultural Heritage, and 10 morePaleoethnobotany, Garden Archaeology, Garden History, History of Botany, Archeology of Gardens, Relict Plants, Garden Archeology, History of Garden Plants, History of Landscape Architecture and Gardens, and Garden and Landscape History
Stofnár þeirra fjórtán klaustra sem starfrækt voru í lengri eða skemmri tíma á Íslandi á miðöldum eru í flestum tilfellum þekkt en tímasetning og ástæður lokunar þeirra síður. Flestum, alls níu, var lokað í kjölfar siðaskiptanna um miðja... more
Stofnár þeirra fjórtán klaustra sem starfrækt voru í lengri eða skemmri tíma á Íslandi á miðöldum eru í flestum tilfellum þekkt en tímasetning og ástæður lokunar þeirra síður. Flestum, alls níu, var lokað í kjölfar siðaskiptanna um miðja sextándu öld en það gerðist ekki í einni svipan, heldur smám saman á tímabilinu frá 1539–1554. Nokkrum klaustranna hafði verið lokað löngu fyrr af ýmsum ástæðum en einkum þó vegna þeirra pólitísku deilna sem urðu um skiptingu veraldlegs og kirkjulegs valds í landinu á þrettándu öld. Hér er reynt að ná fram heildarmynd af lokun íslensku miðaldaklaustranna, um leið og skoðað verður með hvaða hætti lokunin átti sér stað í hverju tilviki fyrir sig, hvenær og hvers vegna. Stuðst verður við ritaðar heimildir sem veita vísbendingar um afdrif klaustranna en einnig er tekið mið af niðurstöðum úr fornleifauppgrefti á rústum Skriðuklausturs. Engu klaustri var lokað vegna áfalla eða hamfara. Vöxtur og viðgangur þeirra virðist í öllum tilvikum hafa verið undir k...
monastery was the youngest of nine clois-ters operated in Iceland during the Catholic period of the Middle Ages (figure 1). The first one was founded at Þin-geyrar in 1133 and the last one three and a half centuries later in 1493 at... more
monastery was the youngest of nine clois-ters operated in Iceland during the Catholic period of the Middle Ages (figure 1). The first one was founded at Þin-geyrar in 1133 and the last one three and a half centuries later in 1493 at Skriðuklaustur. The monastic institutions were seven in number, four in the bishopric at Skálholt and three in the bishopric at Hólar. There were two nun-neries, one in each bishopric. Icelandic cloisters were all either Augustinian or Benedictine, and Skriðuklaustur monastery is commonly thought to have belonged to the Augustinian order. Other religious orders were not repre-sented in Iceland during the Catholic period. All of Ice-land’s nine Medieval cloisters were dissolved during the Lutheran Reformation (Gunnar F. Guðmundsson 2000: 212 f). Despite the fact that the cloisters in Iceland were equally divided between the two bishoprics, Hólar and Skálholt, their geographical distribution within the coun-try was rather unequal. One monastery, Helgafells...
Eight individuals with calcified cysts preserved in the thorax and abdomen, one of which had a maximum diameter of 17-20cm, were recovered during recent excavations at Skri﷿uklaustur, a medieval monastic site which also functioned as a... more
Eight individuals with calcified cysts preserved in the thorax and abdomen, one of which had a maximum diameter of 17-20cm, were recovered during recent excavations at Skri﷿uklaustur, a medieval monastic site which also functioned as a hospital during its operation from AD 1493-1554 in Eastern Iceland. Hydatid cysts are the result of parasitic infection by Echinococci commonly in the liver and lungs of the accidental human host. Echinococcus granulosus was likely introduced to Iceland soon after the settlement period (9th century AD) and became endemic around AD1200 when dogs were introduced from Germany. It has since been eradicated in Iceland due to an extensive educational literature programme and government controls implemented since the mid-1800s. Reviews of the palaeopathological literature mentioning calcified shell fragments indicated hydatism to be the most logical aetiology. The eight individuals in question were buried in close proximity to one another. This may indicate ...
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The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the monastic houses operated on the northernmost periphery of Roman Catholic Europe during the Middle Ages. The intention is to debunk the long-held theory of Iceland and Norse... more
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the monastic houses operated on the northernmost periphery of Roman Catholic Europe during the Middle Ages. The intention is to debunk the long-held theory of Iceland and Norse Greenland’s supposed isolation from the rest of the world, as it is clear that medieval monasticism reached both of these societies, just as it reached their counterparts elsewhere in the North Atlantic. During the Middle Ages, fourteen monastic houses were opened in Iceland and two in Norse Greenland, all following the Benedictine or Augustinian Orders.
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology, Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Migration, and 15 moreBiology, Medieval Archaeology, Stable Isotopes, North Atlantic archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Migration Studies, Palaeodiet, Archaeology of Iceland, Palaeopathology, Medicine, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Food webs, Strontium Isotope Analysis, Lead Isotope Analysis, and Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes
Medieval monasteries were commonly located on major routes, as they were open to everyone in need for assistance. Still, an excavation carried out on the ruins of the Augustinian Skriðuklaustur monastery (A.D. 1493-1554) revealed suchlike... more
Medieval monasteries were commonly located on major routes, as they were open to everyone in need for assistance. Still, an excavation carried out on the ruins of the Augustinian Skriðuklaustur monastery (A.D. 1493-1554) revealed suchlike institution situated in a remote inland valley of eastern Iceland. However, the business of the brethren directed the focus towards a forgotten path between the southern and eastern parts of Iceland over the Vatnajökull glacier, placing the monastery in a major route. The path was lost in A.D. 1640 because of climate changes but when it was still accessible the monastery was the first or last stopover when passing the highlands on the way to the south coast of Iceland. The example from Skriðuklaustur monastery demonstrates how the interplay between culture and nature constantly forges human life and society.
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Geology, Skeletal Biology, Paleopathology, Monastic Studies, and 15 moreMercury Pollution, Osteoarchaeology, Infectious Diseases, History of Iceland, Monasticism, Archaeology of Iceland, Palaeopathology, Archaeology of Medieval Monasteries, Natural Disasters, Iceland, Monastic Archaeology, Heavy Metal Pollution, Medieval Monasticism, Mercury, and Medieval Hospitals
Opportunities to directly study the founding of a human population and its subsequent evolutionary history are rare. Using genome sequence data from 27 ancient Icelanders, we demonstrate that they are a combination of Norse, Gaelic, and... more
Opportunities to directly study the founding of a human population and its subsequent evolutionary history are rare. Using genome sequence data from 27 ancient Icelanders, we demonstrate that they are a combination of Norse, Gaelic, and admixed individuals. We further show that these ancient Icelanders are markedly more similar to their source populations in Scandinavia and the British-Irish Isles than to contemporary Icelanders, who have been shaped by 1100 years of extensive genetic drift. Finally, we report evidence of unequal contributions from the ancient founders to the contemporary Icelandic gene pool. These results provide detailed insights into the making of a human population that has proven extraordinarily useful for the discovery of genotype-phenotype associations.
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Geography, Archaeology, Anthropology, and 15 moreBiological Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Genomics, Genetic Drift, Biology, Archaeology of Iceland, Ancient DNA Research, Iceland, Humans, Female, Ancient DNA, Biological evolution, Genotype, Founder Effect, and Gene pool
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Research Interests: Early Music and Art
Acta Archaeologica. Linkas: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118539567/home? CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Volume 79 Issue 1, July 2008. Contents. NORDIC WORLD. KINGS' JELLING : GORM & THYRA'S PALACE HARALD'S MONUMENT &... more
Acta Archaeologica. Linkas: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118539567/home? CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Volume 79 Issue 1, July 2008. Contents. NORDIC WORLD. KINGS' JELLING : GORM & THYRA'S PALACE HARALD'S MONUMENT & GRAVE - SVEND'S CATHEDRAL (p 1-23). Klavs Randsborg. DIE WOHNSTALLHÄUSER DER FEDDERSEN WIERDE : MASSE UND GEOMETRIE DER GRUNDRISSE EXKURS: MEGARA IN PRIENE, TROJA (p 24-61). Wolf Meyer-Christian. ...
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geology, Volcanology, Bioarchaeology, Skeletal Biology, and 12 moreFluoride, Medieval Archaeology, Osteology, North Atlantic archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Archaeology of Iceland, Palaeopathology, Mediaeval Icelandic History, Osteology (Anthropology), Iceland, Volcanic hazards, and Fluorosis
This communication presents the results of a comparative study using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the identification of degraded, unidentified organic fibres adhered to an iron object that was found at a rescue excavation site... more
This communication presents the results of a comparative study using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the identification of degraded, unidentified organic fibres adhered to an iron object that was found at a rescue excavation site in East-Iceland, where artefacts and human remains from ca. 950 CE were discovered. A reference set of SEM microscopic images of hair samples from nine modern-day mammal species living in the region was generated. By visual comparison of surface microstructure with SEM images of the reference species, the archaeological hair fibres were identified as sheep wool. Our SEM results further indicated that the archaeological wool fibres belonged to the Icelandic breed of sheep. The SEM images of common Icelandic mammals presented in this research are seen as an addition to the pre-existing collection of images useful for species identification of archaeological or otherwise degraded hair or fur samples.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Museum Studies, Bioarchaeology, and 15 moreMicrostructure, Textiles, Microscopy, History of Textiles, Woven Textiles, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Viking Age Archaeology, History of Iceland, Archaeology of Iceland, Iceland, Viking Age, Material Culture of the Viking age, Species identification, Wool, and Animal Hair Morphological Identification
As portrayed in this paper, the available material expressions of religious practices in Iceland represent a much more complicated picture of the settlement and the Christianisation, than the literary sources present alone. The... more
As portrayed in this paper, the available material expressions of religious practices in Iceland represent a much more complicated picture of the settlement and the Christianisation, than the literary sources present alone. The Christianisation of Iceland should thus simultaneously be studied through archaeological sources, along with the concepts of mobility and interaction, as the process must have begun long before the time of the colonisation of Iceland among those who settled there. By the time the island was colonised, there had been contact between Pagans and Christians for centuries, resulting in inter-cultural exchanges following the Viking crusades in Northern Europe during in the 8th century. Therefore, the generation of the Vikings that settled in Iceland was most likely comprised as a disperse unit, raised in an environment of migration and interaction; a world compounded of multi-faceted worship, highly influenced by the Christians. For this reason, it may be relevant ...
Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open) Vitneskja um rekstur spítala á Skriðuklaustri í Fljótsdal var ekki fyrir hendi fyrr en fornleifauppgröftur hófst á rústum þess... more
Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open) Vitneskja um rekstur spítala á Skriðuklaustri í Fljótsdal var ekki fyrir hendi fyrr en fornleifauppgröftur hófst á rústum þess árið 2002. Leifar lækningaplantna og læknisáhalda vitna um að jafnt lyf- og handlækningar hafi farið fram á staðnum. Skýr einkenni um langvinna sjúkdóma á beinagrindum úr gröfum í klausturgarðinum sýna að þangað hafa sjúklingar leitað aðstoðar en klaustur voru skyldug að greftra þá sem dóu í þeirra umsjá. Dreifing grafa innan kirkjugarðsins bendir jafnframt til þess að trúin á áframhaldandi lækningu af hendi almættisins eftir andlátið hafi verið sterk enda voru fyrirbænir fyrir lifandi og látna ríkur þáttur í starfsemi klaustranna.
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ABSTRACT In the multidisciplinary project presented here, 12 known monastic grounds in Iceland were surveyed by a group of medievalists from different fields in the summers of 2009, 2010 and 2011. The aim of the survey was to increase... more
ABSTRACT In the multidisciplinary project presented here, 12 known monastic grounds in Iceland were surveyed by a group of medievalists from different fields in the summers of 2009, 2010 and 2011. The aim of the survey was to increase knowledge of the Icelandic monastic garden and of the plants that were known and used there; to look for possible medieval cultural relict plants; to observe continental influence on the island; and to vitalize discussion and research. Landscape and plants were surveyed at the 12 monastic sites, and full botanical investigations made. Many of the plants found have a medieval past as medicinal and utility plants, and some of their properties may have been common knowledge to medieval Icelanders. An investigation of written sources and archaeological and archaeobotanical findings from excavated sites added to the investigators’ knowledge. So were there monastic gardens in Iceland in the Middle Ages? The answer is a rather confident yes. With all the evidence combined, the investigators were able to trace the deliberate use of medicinal, food and utility plants in the monastic contexts. Whether they were cultivated, tended in situ, gathered growing wild or imported is another matter. Continental influence was more evident than has previously been observed.
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ABSTRACT Eight individuals with calcified cysts preserved in the thorax and abdomen, one of which had a maximum diameter of 17–20 cm, were recovered during recent excavations at Skriðuklaustur, a medieval monastic site which also... more
ABSTRACT Eight individuals with calcified cysts preserved in the thorax and abdomen, one of which had a maximum diameter of 17–20 cm, were recovered during recent excavations at Skriðuklaustur, a medieval monastic site which also functioned as a hospital during its operation from AD 1493–1554 in Eastern Iceland. Hydatid cysts are the result of parasitic infection by Echinococci commonly in the liver and lungs of the accidental human host. Echinococcus granulosus was likely introduced to Iceland soon after the settlement period (9th century AD) and became endemic around AD1200 when dogs were introduced from Germany. It has since been eradicated in Iceland due to an extensive educational literature programme and government controls implemented since the mid-1800s. Reviews of the palaeopathological literature mentioning calcified shell fragments indicated hydatism to be the most logical aetiology. The eight individuals in question were buried in close proximity to one another. This may indicate that this particular ailment (sullaveiki) had its own classification during the medieval period in Iceland and perhaps even a distinct treatment if not in life, at least in death. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Icelandic medieval monastic sites–vegetation and flora, cultural-and relict plants, contemporary plant-names The colonization of Iceland began in the late 9th century and in the year 1000 the Althing chose Christianity to replace paganism... more
Icelandic medieval monastic sites–vegetation and flora, cultural-and relict plants, contemporary plant-names The colonization of Iceland began in the late 9th century and in the year 1000 the Althing chose Christianity to replace paganism as the religion of the country. The bishopric of Skálholt was established in 1056 and Hólar in 1106. There are traces of twelve to fifteen monasteries, of which nine are recognized as having lasted for some time. Of these only Skriðuklaustur has been fully excavated, exhibiting a European ...