Staðarhóll

The estate of Staðarhóll in the region of Breiðafjörður was an important political and cultural centre in pre-modern Iceland. It was one of the highest valued estates in Iceland and provides a prime example of the shifting balance between secular and ecclesiastical power from the medieval period into the centuries following the Reformation. It is also an exemplar of the introduction and maintenance of a manorial economy in Iceland in the late medieval and early modern period.

This book is the result of an interdisciplinary research project with participants from the fields of history, archaeology, natural science, and literature, drawing on methods including archaeological excavation, palaeoenvironmental analysis, and the study of historical and literary sources, to examine the importance of Staðarhóll for its community, for the region, and for the medieval culture of Iceland in a broader context. The works of the thirteenth-century historian Sturla Þórðarson form a significant focal point of the research project and an important research question is the significance of estates such as Staðarhóll for cultural production in medieval Iceland.

Staðarhóll thus serves as a critical case study demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary research. By combining archaeological data with historical narrative, this book not only clarifies the historical importance of this specific location but also contributes to broader scholarly conversations about how landscapes shape and are shaped by human activity, political power, and cultural expression. Individual chapters situate Staðarhóll within Iceland’s wider medieval political and cultural network and revealing the intricate interplay of environment and society.

1. Introduction

• 1.1. The Staðarhóll Project
• 1.2. The Archaeological Context
• 1.3. The Historical Context
• 1.4. The Literary Context
• 1.5. Conclusion

2. The Cultural Landscape of Staðarhóll: Archaeology, Environment, and Narrative
ELÍN ÓSK HREIÐARSDÓTTIR, EGILL ERLENDSSON, BIRNA LÁRUSDÓTTIR, GUÐRÚN ALDA GÍSLADÓTTIR, EMILY LETHBRIDGE, GAVIN LUCAS, KRISTBORG ÞÓRSDÓTTIR, and GUNNAR PÁLL ÆGISSON

• 2.1 Settlement Dynamics in the Breiðafjörður Area
• 2.2 Overview of the Staðarhólsdalur Valley and its Main Characteristics
• 2.3 Staðarhólsdalur in Written Sources and in the Place-Name Record
• 2.4 People and Land at Staðarhóll: An Environmental Reconstruction
• 2.5 The Archaeology
• 2.6 Settlement Dynamics of the Staðarhólsdalur Valley in a Wider Context

3. Diachronic Developments
SVERRIR JAKOBSSON, BENEDIKT EYÞÓRSSON, and EMIL GUNNLAUGSSON

• 3.1. The First Centuries of the Estate
• 3.2. The Medieval Estate (1273–1476)
• 3.3 Staðarhóll in the Tides of Change
• 3.4. Staðarhóll from the Reformation to the Early Eighteenth Century

4. Staðarhóll as a Literary Centre
ÚLFAR BRAGASON, ÞÓRDÍS EDDA JÓHANNESDÓTTIR, and ÁRMANN JAKOBSSON

• 4.1. Oral Tradition and Saga Writing 900–1240
• 4.2. The Rise of the New Man
• 4.3. Scriptorium at Staðarhóll
• 4.4. Sturla Þórðarson’s Literary Activities
• 4.5. Late Medieval and Early Modern Staðarhóll
• 4.6. A Long Literary History

5. Conclusion: The Evolution of Staðarhóll as an Estate and Cultural Centre

Index