Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Page 52

Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Page 52
Steffen Stummann Hansen and John Sheehan Figure 15. a: wooden cross from Toftanes in a length of 38.5 cm; b: fragment of wooden cross from Toftanes preserved in a length of 35.0 cm. Photo: Haldane Joensen/Foroya Fornminnissavn. world. In this context, it would not be at all surprising to find Irish elements in the archaeology of the period, such as the fea- tures of the Leirvík Bonhústoftin. Conclusions The authors propose that the fíonhús- toftin in Leirvík is a fine example of a North Atlantic form of ecclesiastical site that has its ultimate origins in Early Medieval Ireland. Irish influence on the Scandinavian settlers of the North Atlan- tic may have been mediated through the Hiberno-Scandinavian communities during the second half of the ninth and the tenth century, though it remains a strong possibility that the form of these early sites was due to the iníluence of pre-Viking papar in the Faroe Islands, the presence of whom is most strongly indicated by the archaeological evidence frorn Skúvoy. The implication of this study is that the initial Christianisation of the North Atlantic region owes more to Ireland than to Norway, and may have occurred significantly earlier than is con- ventionally accepted. Acknowledgements The authors want to express their thanks to Hákun Andreasen of Foroya Fornmin- nissavn, who helped plan the site and pro- vided useful information, to Anna Katrin Matras, likewise of the Foroya Fornmin- nissavn, who kindly provided information on other sites in the Faroe Islands, to Gud- 50

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Archaeologia Islandica

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