20 | The archaeological landscape of northeast Iceland: a ghost of a Viking Age society (2011) more

A current mapping project of medieval archaeology in an area of over 3,000km2 in northeastern Iceland makes use of aerial photography on a large scale, including over 2,000 low altitude oblique photographs. Aided by ground surveys and other fieldwork, the project has revealed a whole system of well preserved remains dating to the medieval period. An extensive network of turf walls is most prominent, but farmsteads, churches, assembly sites, pagan grave fields, peat cutting, charcoal pits and horse tracks are also clearly visible. This medieval archaeological landscape belongs largely to the Viking period and is a relic of the settlement pattern of the first few generations in Iceland. Its high conservation value and future preservation is discussed in the paper.