Floor formation processes and the interpretation of site activity areas: an ethnoarchaeological study of turf buildings at Thverá, northeast Iceland

Abstract The importance of identifying activity areas on archaeological sites has focussed much ethnoarchaeological and geoarchaeological research on floor formation processes, especially the cultural practices and preservation conditions affecting the distributions of artefacts, organic residues, and elements. In order to broaden the understanding of site formation processes in northern regions, an ethnoarchaeological study integrating geoarchaeological methods was conducted at abandoned 19th- and early 20th-century turf buildings at the farm of Thvera, northeast Iceland. Micromorphological analysis of the floor deposits in different rooms, compared to the former resident’s descriptions of how space had been used and how floors had been maintained, revealed that only a few activities resulted in the accumulation of residues that were diagnostic of how space had been used on a daily basis. Instead, floor layers were dominated by residues associated with maintenance events, such as the intentional spreading of ash, and the laying of fresh turf. This study highlighted the fact that “dirty”, “clean”, “comfortable”, and “waste”, are socially constructed concepts that have a significant impact on the composition of occupation surfaces and must be given careful consideration by archaeologists attempting to spatially analyse residues in floor deposits to interpret site activity areas.

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