Abstract
Gautavík is a well-known archaeological site on the east coast of Iceland. It was partially excavated in 1979 and interpreted as a seasonal occupied trading site, abandoned shortly after c. 1500. However, recent archaeological research on the excavated ceramics, which hitherto had not been studied in detail, raised doubts about the interpretation regarding the dating and function of the site. New research was then initiated that included an investigation of written documents in the archives of Bremen, Hamburg, and Copenhagen, pertaining to the trade with Iceland during the sixteenth century. On the basis of the new results presented here we now interpret Gautavík to have been a trading harbour that also included a farm, at least periodically, occupied from the late twelfth century, at the latest, until shortly before 1600. Gautavík was a place of supra-regional importance, being the main port of entry in Berufjörður during the medieval period. In the sixteenth century, however, Gautavík lost its importance. This was a period of intensive trade of German merchants with Iceland, and after Bremen and Hamburg merchants established Djúpivogur and Fýluvogur at the entrance of the fjord c. 1570, both gradually superseded Gautavík, such that shortly before 1600 trade was no longer conducted there.
Highlights
Gautavík is a well-known archaeological site on the east coast of Iceland, located in a small sheltered bay on the northern side of the fjord Berufjörður (Fig. 1)
If we look at the places where these customers lived, it becomes clear that the extent of the trading district was still huge in the late sixteenth century, and that other trading sites besides the main ones in Djúpivogur and Fýluvogur must have been in use
The recent archaeological research carried out at Gautavík has raised considerable doubts about some of the previous interpretations of the dating and function of the site. It was mainly the re-evaluation of the ceramic material that initiated more work on the site, including an examination of the written sources in foreign archives that pertain to the German trade with Iceland
Summary
Gautavík is a well-known archaeological site on the east coast of Iceland, located in a small sheltered bay on the northern side of the fjord Berufjörður (Fig. 1). Another black ash layer from 1362 was found in the turf walls, while the 1477 ash layer is thought to have overlain the (charcoal) floor layer.20 This indicates that the house that surrounded the brick structure was built after 1362, but had fallen out of use before 1477. Several irregular rows of stones on the beach, allegedly remains from the eroded walls, indicated that there had originally been four parallel buildings They may have been boathouses, warehouses, or booths, and the many stray finds from that area such as ceramic fragments, nails, bricks, and animal bones indicate that this had been a busy place.. That there seem to be two rather unique circular structures at Gautavík is remarkable, and we are inclined to believe that they are related
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