From Monday to Friday we excavate at Kolkuos or else work with material removed from the site back at the lab in Holar.  Kolkous is a natural harbor upon the mouth of the river Kolka.  It was one of Iceland's major trading ports from around 900 AD into the 16th century.  The sight developed in association with the Bishopric of Holar though it is now known to have predated the establishment of the institution.  Ships are described docking here and travelling up the estuaries in the sagas.

No evidence has been recovered at the site for permanent occupation.  Over the summer merchants and travelers lived in turf booths protected from nature by furs and leather.  Today it is their pots and flints, their whalebones and whetstones that we excavate.  It is much less common to make finds here than on my previous excavations in Italy and Slovakia or even further up the valley in Holar.  However, the material record which has been recovered is rich and varied.  Finds include a silver coin brought to Iceland from Germany in the early 12th century.  The first evidence that small Maltese dogs were brought to Iceland as pets for the aristocracy was discovered at Kolkuos.

Unfortunately, the sight is being destroyed by the river and the sea.  Long ago, the isthmus connecting Kolkuos to the island of Elinarholmi creating an ocean harbor was submerged in water.  Today, the entire sight is under threat.  It is important therefore that as much is excavated this season and over the next couple of years as possible, before it is too late.