Pigs, People and Places

Pigs, People and Places

Grace Marie Cesario 

This presentation will focus on pigs—their contribution to the settlement of Iceland, their diet, their distribution in the archaeological record, and places with pig- related names. Pigs were brought to Iceland with the first settlers, but have generally been given less attention than other domesticates. However, it could be argued that pigs were more economically important than cattle and sheep in the first decades of Settlement.

To examine one part of the relationship between people and pigs, 72 samples of archaeological pig bone were sent for isotopic analysis. This revealed the diet of the pigs and thus how they were kept—free range or penned. Additionally, archaeological sites with pig bones were mapped and compared with pig-related placenames to give a better picture of the people-pig relationship and highlight possible spatial trends in pigkeeping. Despite changing use of pigs over time and their diminishing numbers, pig placenames persist on the landscape. The placename research is just beginning, but shows potential to help understand more about pigs and the social landscape.

Fyrirlesturinn er hluti af Nýjar rannsóknir í fornleifafræði 2026, fyrirlestraröð Félags fornleifafræðinga og námsbrautar í fornleifafræði við Háskóla Íslands. Fyrirlesturinn fer fram miðvikudaginn 25. mars kl. 12 í stofu 050 Í Aðalbyggingu Háskóla Íslands en einnig verður honum streymt á Zoom, hægt að fylgjast með hér: Fyrirlesturinn í streymi