The Imaginary self

Abstract: In the year 1972 an excavation started on a peculiar ruin situated along the southern shore of Iceland. The next four years archaeologists unearthed quite interesting medieval farmstead there. This particular farmstead has been given the name Kúabót and has had great impact on the Icelandic archaeology. The aim of this thesis is to investigate this farmstead and especially two artifacts in detail. The main question is: how are certain visual and symbolic entities displayed, consciously and/or unconsciously via art, in the process of creation and maintenance of social identities at Kúabót, medieval Iceland? I will use contextual analysis to answer this intriguing question. A contextual analysis that include the art elements, presented on the two objecst chosen, in deciphering the elusive and abstracted social identities. The main conclusion enforces the methods applied and indicates the nature, meaning and construction of social identities of Kúabót medieval Iceland.