About the collection
The Icelandic zooarchaeological reference collection is a collection of bones from various specimens of mammals, birds and fish found in or around Iceland.
Currently there are 260 specimens in the collection that are ready to be used, with an additional 80 samples in various stages of preparation.
Detailed information such as origin, species, age and sex is available for many of the specimens.
Collection strategy
The samples found in the collection largely come from farm animals which have been slaughtered due to health issues, old age or for research purposes. The wild animals found in the collection largely come from animals found dead in the wild. Some of the wild animals come from research projects at other institutions which have required animals to be caught and/or dissected for study. No animals have been slaughtered specifically for inclusion in the reference collection. We take care to follow any legal requirements for animal welfare, protected species and livestock diseases.
In order to make sure that we work under healthy conditions we follow the ICAZ health and safety guidelines.