News & Events

  • Analyzing colors in textiles | Litir í miðaldarklæðum greindir
    Embroidered cloths from the Middle Ages were X-rayed at the National Museum of Iceland as well as analyzes of dyes in cloths and manuscripts. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this all. The Draflastaðir cloth, which is one of the medieval cloths preserved in the
  • Science Night | Vísindavaka
    It was a pleasure to participate in the annual Science Night, that was held on Saturday, September 30, in Laugardagshöll. One of the aims of Science Night is to open the minds of young people to science and research in Iceland. Sigrún Hannesdóttir, PhD student in archeology and Helene
  • EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast | Evrópuráðstefna fornleifafræðinga í Belfast
    Part of our team had a session at the European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting in Belfast this year. The session was a success and we had a full room of an interested audience. MEDIEVAL MONASTIC SETTLEMENTS IN THE NORTH:ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Organisers | SkipuleggjendurSteinunn Kristjánsdóttir (University of
  • Last excavation day at Þingeyrar | Lokadagur uppgraftarins á Þingeyrum
    Thursday the 24th of August, the excavation site at Þingeyri was closed for the winter. The archaeological excavation this summer went incredibly well. The weather was very good, we found many interesting artefacts, as well as some amazing turf walls. The winter will be used to analyze the finds
  • Visitors at Þingeyrar | Gestir í leiðsögn
    During the excavation at Þingeyrar in August we offered a free guided tour of the excavation site. Among the guest were locals, Icelandic and foreign tourists. There we got the chance to talk about the history of the monastery at Þingeyrar and the important role it played for the
  • Welcome for a guided tour | Minnum á síðustu dagana í leiðsögn
    We are coming to an end of this season’s excavation at Þingeyrar. Welcome for a guided tour at the site until noon on Thursday, when we will close it for the winter. Minnum á síðustu dagana í leiðsögn um uppgraftarsvæðið á Þingeyrum! Munum loka svæðinu á hádegi á fimmtudag
  • We were in the news | Á baksíðu Morgunblaðsins!
    We were on the back page of the Icelandic newspaper last Friday Just a reminder, if you are interested in visiting us and get a guided tour around the excavation area, we are at Þingeyrar and offer tours Monday-Thursday at 11pm and 4 pm until the 24th of August.
  • Free guided tours at the excavation site | Leiðsögn um uppgraftarsvæðið
    Excavation at Þingeyrar in Húnaþing. Welcome on a guided tour Mondays-Thursdays at 11 am and 4 pm from the 2nd of August until the 24th of August (See further instructions on the poster below). Við erum mætt á Þingeyrar í Húnaþingi og ætlum að bjóða uppá leiðsögn um uppgraftarsvæðið
  • In the Evening TV News | Í kvöldfréttum RÚV
    Sigrún Þurðíður Runólfsdóttir, a reporter from the Icelandic National Television Station RÚV came and interviewed Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, PhD, Professor at the Archaeology Department at University of Iceland and Managing Director of the project Between Man and Nature. Link to the interview Sigrún Þuríður Runólfsdóttir frá RÚV heimsótti okkur í
  • In the newspaper | Heilsíða í Morgunblaðinu
    We were in the Morgunblaðið newspaper on Saturday Við fengum umfjöllun um uppgröftinn okkar á Kirkjubæjarklaustri í Morgunblaðinu á laugardaginn
  • A beautiful whetstone | Fallegt brýni
    This beautiful whetstone was found today at our excavation site in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. A very similar whetstone was found at Helgafell in West-Iceland in 2016. Þetta fallega brýni fannst í dag í uppgreftinum á Kirkjubæjarklaustri. Svipað brýni fannst á Helgafelli á Snæfellsnesi árið 2016.
  • Excavation at Kirkjubæjarklaustur | Uppgröftur á Kirkjubæjarklaustri
    Kirkjubæjarklaustur welcomed us with sun and warmth today on the first day of the excavation this summer. If you are passing through Kirkjubæjarklaustur in the coming weeks, we will offer a micro-guided tour of the area Monday to Thursday at 9 and 14, from July 4-25. We are located
  • Þingeyrar Annual Report 2022 | Þingeyrar Áfangaskýrsla 2022
    The annual report of the excavation in Þingeyrar from 2022, has been published. Please note that the report is in Icelandic but we have an abstract in English  Click here Þingeyrar – Áfangaskýrsla 2022 er komin út! Smellið hér
  • Kirkjubæjarklaustur Annual Report 2022 | Kirkjubæjarklaustur Áfangaskýrsla 2022
    The annual report of the excavation in Kirkjubæjarklaustur from 2022, has been published. Please note that the report is in Icelandic but we have an abstract in English Click here Kirkjubæjarklaustur – Áfangaskýrsla 2022 er komin út! Smellið hér
  • Preparation for the Excavation season | Undirbúningur fyrir uppgrefti sumarsins
    Part of the excavation team for Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Þingeyrar met recently to prepare for this summer season. We are excited to start on Monday the 3rd of July at Kirkjubæjarklaustur. A large midden was found in the excavation area last year, but it seems to have accumulated during last
  • Female Apostle(s) at the Roots of Christianity | Konur sem postular við upphaf kristni
    Author: Rúnar M. Þorsteinsson, Professor in New Testament studies at the faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Iceland There is an increasing demand for the ordination of women as priests within the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican’s primary argument against priestly ordination of women is
  • The Burden of History: Kirkjubæjarklaustur and the Biography of Landscape | Byrði sögunnar: Kirkjubæjarklaustur og ævisaga landslags
    Author: Sigrún Hannesdóttir, PhD student in Archaeology at the University of Iceland The importance of landscape has long been recognized within monastic studies, both as an economic and spiritual resource. This paper focuses on the surrounding landscape of a single monastic site, that is Kirkjubæjarklaustur on Síða (south Iceland),
  • Interview at the radio station Rás 1 | Steinunn í mannlega þættinum á Rás 1
    An interview with Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, PhD, at the Icelandic radio station Rás 1. See link below, but it is only in Icelandic. Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, fornleifafræðingur og prófessor við HÍ, kíkti í viðtal til Guðrúnar Gunnarsdóttur og Gunnars Hanssonar í Mannlega þáttinn á Rás 1. Þar ræddi hún um íslensku
  • Ólöf the Rich and a Cloth from Svalbarð, Iceland
    Author: Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, PhD, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Iceland „The age of the Svalbarð cloth is uncertain, but the iconography embroidered in it and its entire design strongly suggest that it is from the medieval Catholic era, being designed in the Romanesque style.“ „Tapestries and wall-hangings
  • The Abbesses of Iceland | Íslensku abbadísirnar
    A new article has been published about the Abbesses of Iceland, written by Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Iceland and the head of the Archaeological research of Benedictine Communities in Medieval Iceland. Ný grein um íslensku abbadísirnar eftir Steinunni Kristjánsdóttur, Prófessor í fornleifafræði við Háskóla
  • Conference: Monastic studies in the North: New Approaches | Ráðstefna
    The conference Monasticism in the North: New approaches was held at the University of Iceland on April 14th 2023. The Conference Program 13:00–13:30 James Clark, University of ExeterThe Benedictine custom of medieval Iceland13:30–14:00 Øystein Ekroll, Nidaros CathedralMedieval Nunneries in Norway14:00–14:30 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, University of IcelandThe Abbesses of Iceland14:30–15:00 Coffee