Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1959, Page 89

KORN PRÁ GRÖP í ÖRÆPUM
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SUMMARY
The settlement Litlahérað in southern Iceland was devastated by an eruption
of the volcano Öræfajökull in 13622), a number of farms being buried under a
heavy layer of pumic ash. In 1957 during an excavation of the fai'm Gröf
a kiln was discovered. On the floorlayer of this kiln, charred plant remains had
been preservedl). These were found to include barley grains of a small hulled
type of Hordeum vulgare. Measurements of 50 kernels gave the following means:
Length from radicle to apex of kernel 5,27 mm, width 2,65 mm, thickness 2,16
mm. The glumes had a tapering, serrate awn and the rachilla was long, three-
branched and brush like. Four small pieces of rachis were found having slightly
hairy margins and internodes with the mean length of 3,10 mm. In addition
to the grain the sample contained a few pieces of barley leaves, stems, roots and
hairs, one seed of Poa pratensis and four achens of a nettle, Urtica urens.
Barley was grown in Iceland during the first centuries of the settlement as
recorded in old literature, but its cultivation ceased during the middle ages,
possibly due to a slight change towards a cooler climate.
The plants from Gröf are grown during the latter part of the barley cultivation
era; The highly variable size of the kernels and their relatively small means
could reflect the unfavorable growing conditions.
The nettle has previously been discovered among barley gi'ains grown in
Iceland during the Saga period, which might indicate that nettle had been a
common weed in Icelandic grainfieldsS).
HEIMILDARIT
1) Gestsson, Gísli: Gröf í Öræfum. Árbók Fornleifafélagsins 1959, bls. 5—87.
2) Thorarinsson, Sigurdur: Der Öræfajökull und die Landschaft der Öræfi.
Erdkunde 13. Lfg. 2. bls. 124—138, Bonn 1959.
3) Friðriksson, Sturla: Jurtaleifar frá Bergþórshvoli á söguöld. Óprentað.