Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1960, Page 71

JURTALEIFAR FRÁ BERGÞÓRSHVOLI Á SÖGUÖLD
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ENGLISH SUMMARY
In 1927 Thordarson discovered carbonized plant material in the lowermost
culture layer of a small shed or possibly a kiln during an archaeological excava-
tion at the historical farmstead Bergþórshvoll in southern Iceland.9)
A sample of this charred plant remains was stored at the National Museum in
Reykjavik and was recently examined by the author.
This investigation revealed that the major part of the sample consisted of the
hulled type of four row barley, Hordeum vulgare, with serrated awns. The
material was extremely well preserved and had obviously burned. From the
amount of straw and leaves present and the kernels being attached it is believed
that the crop was unthrashed.
The mean dimensions of 100 kernels measured were as follows: Length from
radicle to apex 5.74 mm width 2.81 mm and thickness 2.19 mm. The mean length
of internodes of the rachis was 2.4 mm. The kernels were variable in size and
shape; some being straight and others lop-sided. The horseshoe-shaped depression
on the lower dorsal side of the glumes retaining their base was a further indica-
tion of this being the nodding barley.
In addition to the barley, a few pieces of birch charcoal, possibly from native
woods, were present in the sample. Furthermore, remains of three other plant
species were observed. These were several seeds, hairs and calixes of a nettle,
Urtica urens; a few seeds and fruits of chick-weed, Stellaria media, and two
seeds of spurrey, Spergula arvensis.
The rather small size of the barley kernels and the short internodes could indi-
cate that the crop had developed in a relatively cool climate. However, when
comparing it with barley grain from Aggersborg, Denmark, the difference does
not seem to be as great as when comparing modern grains of barley grown in
Iceland and Denmark. This could mean that Icelandic climate might have been
somewhat more favourable for barley growing than it is today.
Samples of the carbonized plant material were Carbon-14 tested by the Uni-
versity of Saskatchewan, Canada. The testing revealed that the plants grew in
the year 1039 ± 60.
This find is the first archaeological proof of a barley cultivation in the Saga
period. It is of special interest as the place of discovery is the historical farm of
the Njáls Saga, in which both barley cultivation and chickweed is mentioned.