Publication Type:
Archaeology Paper Prize Winner
Online Publication Category:
Archaeology Paper Prize Winners
2017

Iceland is a unique place known for its strong sense of cultural heritage. Intrepid settlers colonizing the virgin shores of this island a mere 1100 years ago were tasked with the opportunity to build an entirely new identity for themselves. The earliest part of Icelandic cultural history is characterized by the development of a new independent Icelandic identity that highlighted the island’s uniqueness, isolation, and self-sufficiency. But large social, political, and environmental shifts occurring largely in the 13th and 14th centuries gave elite Icelanders reason to rebrand themselves, and Icelandic ethnic identity was gradually reformed by increasing continental European influence. This Europeanization was reflected in several aspects of Icelandic culture including foodways, metalworking, cloth production, trade patterns, and literature.