Does the ‘Marine Signature’ of Driftwood Persist in the Archaeological Record? An Experimental Case Study from Iceland

The limited native tree flora of Iceland, combined with the decline in native woodlands following the settlement of the island in the late ninth century AD, led to a very limited availability of timber on the island. However, Icelanders continued to rely on wood for fuel, construction and artefact production. Driftwood, which arrives in great quantities on the shores of Iceland, became an extremely important resource, especially for construction. Driftwood has been identified in archaeological wood assemblages in Iceland through taxonomic categorisation of wood remains as deriving from native, drifted or imported wood. However, many of the species found as driftwood have wide geographical ranges, or are anatomically indistinguishable from taxa which may have been imported to Iceland. Furthermore, the use of modern studies of driftwood as comparisons is problematic due to the influence of changing forest composition, oceanic circulation and logging practices. Driftwood has a marine chemical signature due to its immersion in seawater. This paper uses electrical conductivity testing of ‘fresh’, drifted and archaeological wood to assess the extent to which this marine signature is likely to persist in the archaeological record, and whether this could be used to conclusively identify driftwood in archaeological assemblages.