Animal statues found at early Viking settlement in Iceland

An animal figurine, believed to be a child’s toy, was found in a mound at Fjörður Farm in Seyðisfjörður, east Iceland. The animal looks like a pig to me, but archaeologists speculate that it could also represent a wild boar, a bear, or a dog. It was found in the floor layer of a 9th century Viking longhouse.

The Fjörður farm site contains remains of the first settlement Norsemen in Iceland. Founded in the late 8th or early 9th century, the settlement was repeatedly hit by mudslides and avalanches until it was buried by a large landslide in 1150. Thick layers of soil protected the earliest settlement from later construction. After five years of excavation, archaeologists discovered a weaving room, a barn, four pre-Christian tombs, and the longhouse.

The bear-pig is carved from the yellow volcanic rock pyrite tuff and is 5 cm (2 inches) long and 2.7 cm (1 inch) tall. One ear is broken off, but the rest of it is intact. It can still stand on all fours. Here is a 3D scan of this affable fellow:

Excavations of the bottom layer this year have uncovered more than 600 objects from the first settlers of Seyðisfjörður who built the longhouse. Some of the objects found include nearly 100 chess pieces for the game Hnefatalf, spindles, beads, crucibles and metal casting molds, lamps, pots and a silver coin. The coin is still covered in dirt so it cannot be identified, but coin experts will examine it and authenticate it after cleaning and conservation.