Re: Cod Fish, Walrus, and Chieftains

In sci.archaeology, Uwe Müller created a message ID
news:dm24dn$eip$1@xxxxxxxxx:

> If I understood the article correct, it was because the
> Icelanders aimed for self sufficiency while the
> Greenlanders exploited a highly priced raw material.
> Therefore in Iceland one source of food was being replaced
> by another one (which turned out to be, in time, a source
> of money as well) while in Greenland one source of income
> was replaced by another.

The political climate during the 13th century would support
the same, during the later 13th there was bickering over the
stance toward Norway, the defeat and death of Haakon IV in the
Orkneys opened a path of independence, but rather than
directly confront Norway, both scotland and iceland took
measures to appease the king. An odd stance only if they knew
that norway was in trouble and I think they just wanted not to
stir a sleeping dog while sneaking out of the kennel, as it
turned out Scotland virtually became independent thereafter,
was invaded by England, invaded england and was successful in
getting their own bishopry.

>> Because it can be assumed that the same mechanisms
>> played a role in Greenland, the the following document
>> is also usefull.
>
> The first article is centered on the thesis, that the two
> economies were fundamentally different, and while the
> Icelandic economy could adapt to change, the Greenlanders
> could not, or not fast enough.

The key to independence and adaptation is wood.

>> Our results indicate that the importance of climate
>> may have been underestimated as a possible
>> and important contributor to land degradation and
>> desertification in Iceland.
>
> I would be very cautious as to the impact of climate change
> on human settlements or subsistence. It is certainly a
> factor of cultural change, but in my experience changes in
> the economy, settlement density and the exploitation of
> different environmental zones were used to counter its
> effects.

Yes because most humans do not live precisely on the margin,
they marginalize themselves by overpopulation. But if they
were truely living on a natural margin, the climate change
might have a usually high impact.

.