Words by

Catharine Fulton

A trio of researchers has undertaken the task of investigating the origins of the Icelandic horse.
Albína Hulda Pálsdóttir, an animal bones archeologist, is working with Jón Hallstein Hallsson, a Ph.D. in genetics, and Michael Hofreiter, Ph.D. in biology, to dig into the animal’s history and learn more about its origins, RÚV reports. Fueled by an 800,000 ISK grant from the Archaeological Fund, the trio will analyse ancient DNA, study the genome of modern Icelandic horses, and examine bones from an excavation site at Alþingisreit to learn more about the animals.
The running theory is that the horses, and all domestic animals in Iceland, originated in Norway, but this theory stems from written reports, rather than science.