NDLI: Investigation of proposed Norse irrigation channels and dams at Garðar/Igaliku, Greenland

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Investigation of proposed Norse irrigation channels and dams at Garðar/Igaliku, Greenland

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Edwards, Kevin J. Schofield, J. Edward
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	It has long been proposed that various features within and beyond the confines of the Greenlandic settlement of Garðar, in modern Igaliku, reflect a medieval irrigation system with interconnected channels and cascading dams associated with Norse colonization and agriculture. These have rarely been investigated archaeologically or sedimentologically. After reviewing available evidence and the confusion surrounding terminology, this paper reports on excavations across three supposed irrigation channels. The lithostratigraphies of sediments located behind some of the proposed dams are also described and discussed. Although one of the excavated channels demonstrates convincing evidence for having been constructed (in part at least, through the presence of a vertical cut and the emplacement of flanking turf embankments), two of the channels are revealed as natural topographic features. It seems that if these were integrated into the Norse irrigation network then this was done without any further requirement for their modification or artificial enhancement. Deposits behind the dams were found to be shallow (~0.5 m deep) but contained sedimentary evidence for the former presence of standing water or waterlogged ground in the form of lake muds and peats. At one location (designated as Dam IX), radiocarbon dating of a stratigraphic change from lake mud to peat—indicating succession from open water to more terrestrial conditions—has been dated to cal. AD 1420–1620 [2σ] and may reflect the reservoir falling into disuse following site abandonment. While doubt is thrown on the existence of one dam identified by previous investigators, two possible new dam/reservoir features are presented.
Starting Page	71
Ending Page	92
Page Count	22
File Format	PDF
ISSN	18777236
Journal	Water History
Volume Number	5
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	18777244
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2012-12-08
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Greenland Norse Irrigation Dam Reservoir Excavation Waste Water Technology Water Pollution Control Water Management Aquatic Pollution Civil Engineering Hydrogeology History
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Geography, Planning and Development History Water Science and Technology

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