A Family Revisited: The Medieval Household Cemetery of Keldudalur, North Iceland

Abstract

In 2002 a previously unknown 11th-century Christian cemetery came to light during construction work at the modern-day farm of Keldudalur in the Hegranes area, north Iceland. When the cemetery was subsequently fully excavated, the skeletal population totalled 62 individuals. The osteological analysis of the material showed that the cemetery population represented all age groups and both sexes; a very different picture from the sparse pagan burial record. The apparent ubiquity of similar contemporary cemeteries on farms in the area suggests they had a household function, and excavations have revealed that they were established very early in the 11th century and most went out of use in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. Discussions on the social make-up of medieval households in Iceland have mainly been dealt with by historians and philologists using the narrative family sagas and other written documentation. The analysis of a household cemetery such as Keldudalur offers primary material for the study of medieval households and families. The article discusses the interpretive opportunities that open up if a more interdisciplinary approach is used in discussion of the household; specifically how osteological analysis can add to and benefit from the more traditional literary approach.