Fróðskaparrit

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FORNFRØÐILIG RANNSOKN I UPPISTOVUBEITINUM 1 LEIRVIK

with ± 1 standarddivision to AD 1400-

14408. Furthermore two small samples, re-

spectively of hazelnut shells and birch bark,

have been accepted for accelerator dating.

On the basis of the archaeological mate-

ríal it would seem reasonable to date the

earliest settlement activity on the site to the

12th-13th century with a period of use ex-

tending into the 14th Century. This broad

provisional frame is mainly based on the

imported ware and the double comb, but

concurs with the general impression given

by the material as a whole.

The two carbon-14 datings are in good

correlation with the broad archaeological

dating, though the younger dating indicates

further extension of the settlement activity.

This dating is for the period of activity as a

whole. A more precise dating of the indi-

vidual buildings and settlement phases

awaits a closer study of the material as well

as further excavations with following re-

sults.

/ Uppistovibeitinum seen in the context

of settlement development.

In order to evaluate í Uppistovubeitinum in

a settlement development context, I will in

the following pages take a short look at the

settlement pattern in Leirvik.

Right up to the early part of this century,

the village of Leirvík consisted of the three

old settlements of: um Á, við Garð and á Tof-

tanesi. Settlements such as these are in

Faroese called býlingar or fyrndarbýlin-

gar, and reflect primary settlements regis-

tered in the oldest surviving cadastre dating

from 1584 AD. Several of these, have been

archaeologically dated to the Viking-Age.

A village could consist of several of these

settlements, each again consisting of a sin-

gle or several farming units. Often the vil-

lage's old churchsite lay on one of these

settlements, which in a historical context is

important, in that it is here, where the orig-

inal church was built, that one would expect

to find the remains of the main village farm

- the primary landnamfarm (Arge, 1997;

Thorsteinsson, 1981).

It is generally accepted, as a result of re-

cent research into the history of settlement

development, that the Faroese settlement

pattern is characterized by long settlement

continuity. In other words, one would ex-

pect that a settlement established in the

Viking or Early Middle Ages would be

found again in a so called býling. However

the saying: no rule without an exception, is

naturally valid here too.

The Faroese village is divided into a se-

ries of physical areas, each with their spe-

cific function. Of primary importance were

the enclosed cultivated infield and the un-

cultivated outfield.

However, here it is the actual settlement

site which is important and which again

was a special defined area, in Faroese

called either a heimrust, rustari or skatta-

grundir depending on whichever part of the

Faroes one is in. It was here the buildings,

farmhouses, outhouses, hay enclosures, an-

gelica gardens and middens were estab-

lished.

Parts of the same heimrust were also

used as a grazing area - in Faroese a beiti.

The settlement area was usually sharply di-

vided from the outlying infield by a stone-

built fence, and a similarily boundered geil