The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands

Mike Church; Simun Arge; Kevin Edwards; Philippa  Ascough; Julie Bond; Gordon Cook; Steve Dockrill; Andrew Dugmore; Thomas McGovern; Claire Nesbitt; Ian Simpson

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.011

The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands

Mike Church, Simun Arge, Kevin Edwards, Philippa Ascough, Julie Bond, Gordon Cook, Steve Dockrill, Andrew Dugmore, Thomas McGovern, Claire Nesbitt, Ian Simpson

School of Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

We report on the earliest archaeological evidence from the Faroe Islands, placing human colonization in the 4th–6th centuries AD, at least 300–500 years earlier than previously demonstrated archaeologically. The evidence consists of an extensive wind-blown sand deposit containing patches of burnt peat ash of anthropogenic origin. Samples of carbonised barley grains from two of these ash patches produced 14C dates of two pre-Viking phases within the 4th–6th and late 6th–8th centuries AD. A re-evaluation is required of the nature, scale and timing of the human colonization of the Faroes and the wider North Atlantic region.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	228-232
Number of pages	5
Journal	Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume	77
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.011
Publication status	Published - Oct 2013

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Faroe Islands
Earliest human settlement
14C Dating

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10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.011

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379113002230#

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title = "The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands",

abstract = "We report on the earliest archaeological evidence from the Faroe Islands, placing human colonization in the 4th–6th centuries AD, at least 300–500 years earlier than previously demonstrated archaeologically. The evidence consists of an extensive wind-blown sand deposit containing patches of burnt peat ash of anthropogenic origin. Samples of carbonised barley grains from two of these ash patches produced 14C dates of two pre-Viking phases within the 4th–6th and late 6th–8th centuries AD. A re-evaluation is required of the nature, scale and timing of the human colonization of the Faroes and the wider North Atlantic region.",

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author = "Mike Church and Simun Arge and Kevin Edwards and Philippa Ascough and Julie Bond and Gordon Cook and Steve Dockrill and Andrew Dugmore and Thomas McGovern and Claire Nesbitt and Ian Simpson",

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AU - Church, Mike

AU - Arge, Simun

AU - Edwards, Kevin

AU - Ascough, Philippa

AU - Bond, Julie

AU - Cook, Gordon

AU - Dockrill, Steve

AU - Dugmore, Andrew

AU - McGovern, Thomas

AU - Nesbitt, Claire

AU - Simpson, Ian

PY - 2013/10

Y1 - 2013/10

N2 - We report on the earliest archaeological evidence from the Faroe Islands, placing human colonization in the 4th–6th centuries AD, at least 300–500 years earlier than previously demonstrated archaeologically. The evidence consists of an extensive wind-blown sand deposit containing patches of burnt peat ash of anthropogenic origin. Samples of carbonised barley grains from two of these ash patches produced 14C dates of two pre-Viking phases within the 4th–6th and late 6th–8th centuries AD. A re-evaluation is required of the nature, scale and timing of the human colonization of the Faroes and the wider North Atlantic region.

AB - We report on the earliest archaeological evidence from the Faroe Islands, placing human colonization in the 4th–6th centuries AD, at least 300–500 years earlier than previously demonstrated archaeologically. The evidence consists of an extensive wind-blown sand deposit containing patches of burnt peat ash of anthropogenic origin. Samples of carbonised barley grains from two of these ash patches produced 14C dates of two pre-Viking phases within the 4th–6th and late 6th–8th centuries AD. A re-evaluation is required of the nature, scale and timing of the human colonization of the Faroes and the wider North Atlantic region.

KW - Faroe Islands

KW - Earliest human settlement

KW - 14C Dating

U2 - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.011

DO - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.011

M3 - Article

SN - 0277-3791

VL - 77

SP - 228

EP - 232

JO - Quaternary Science Reviews

JF - Quaternary Science Reviews

IS - 1

ER -

The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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