Archeologists working in Stöð í Stöðvarfirði, on the east coast, believe they have found the oldest lodgings in Iceland, dating back decades before Ingólfur Arnarson settled in 874.

The two hovels are believed to have been an outpost used for resource utilisation, and the reason why they are not thought to have been permanent settlements is the lack of any evidence of animal husbandry. The older of the two is believed to date back to early parts of the ninth century.

Among the most important finds

Bjarni F. Einarsson, who heads the archaeological dig told pressan.is that the lodgings and items found on site are similar to those from Northern Europe at the time, but is uncertain of the specific origins of its builders.

“This is high Nordic construction and the items we’ve found are similar to those found across the northern part of the continent,” he said. “But whether the people who erected them came from the British Isles, Norway or Northern Norway we don’t know.”

Last year, the find was chosen by archaeology magazine Archaeofeed as one of the world’s most important archeological finds in 2016.