Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 03.01.1987, Page 19

KIRKJUGARDUR AÐ STÓRUBORG UNDIR EYJAFJÖLLUM
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SUMMARY
This articlc conccrns an cxcavation undertaken by the National Museum of Iceland
(Þjóðminjasafn íslands) in 1978 and still in progress. The site of the excavation is the
farmstead at Stóraborg, in Austur-Eyjafjallahreppur, Rangárvallasýsla in the southern
quarter of Iceland. The farmstead was abandoned in 1840 and the farm movcd to its present
location to the east of thc original site. The farm site is now threatened by the sea and
by two streams running on either side of the site. In the autumn of 1969 surf exposed a
graveyard southwest of the farnr site, revealing traces of a number of graves. The floor
of a church with a nunrbcr of post holes was revealed in 1975. In 1978 excavation of the
graveyard was begun. The present article looks at the fmdings of this excavation.
A number of deeds are extant for the church, the oldest of which is thought to date
from 1332. It is also possible that the church is mentioned in a register of churches from
about 1200. The church at Stóraborg ceased operations about 1700.
In 1975 it was possible to make casts of the postholes in the graveyard (cf. Hörður
Ágústsson’s article, pp. 41-44). When excavation was begun in 1978 these holes were no
longer visible, due no doubt to further erosion of the topsoil on the church site. Three
holes wcrc howcver perceivable, 70-90 crn in diameter, all full of stones and gravel,
where the north-western corner of the church had been. Onc further hole was found
where the southern wall had been, but as this hole was rnuch lower it is not entirely clear
whether it had anything to do with thc church building itself. Thc threc holes at the
north-western corner could indicate that the church had been re-built at least twice. There
was no further direct evidence of the church when excavation was begun in 1978, but an
area devoid of graves near the rniddle of the church yard indicated its location. On the
basis of this area the outside dimensions of thc church would appcar to have becn at the
most 8X5 mcters.
A good deal of topsoil had erodcd from the graveyard before excavation commenced
in 1978 as witnessed by the shallowness of nrany of the graves and the fact that in a few
places bones lay on the surface.
Though the outside walls of the church werc badly preserved, it was nevertheless poss-
ible to reconstruct its general shape. The church building was rectangular and its sides
straight with the exception of the southcrn wall which appears to have followed the con-
tours of the hillock on which the farm stood. The earliest graveyards in Iceland are tho-
ught to have been circular, but there was no indication that the graveyard at Stóraborg
had cver been of any other shape. The graveyard had at onc point been enlarged to thc
south, fronr a sizc of 19 X 11 meters to 19 X 16 meters (inside measurement). Little rem-
aincd of the churchyard walls, which were for the most part of turf. Along the northern
wall, however were the remnants of a 6*/2 meter long stone wall. The walls appear to
have been approximately 2 nreters thick at their base. The graveyard was probably en-
tered from the north-western corner, where there were found three small stone slabs or
steps, one under another.
According to oral tradition one old woman was buried in the graveyard at Stóraborg.
A ground plan of the graveyard made in 1972 showed about 70 graves, thc remains of
which could be seen on thc surface. In the sunrmer of 1978 whcn the graveyard was
invcstigated there were between 60 and 70 graves. A comparison with the plan indicates
that those remains of graves visible in 1972 had been destroyed by 1978. Thus the two
figures nray be added together indicating the number of graves to have been not less than
130 to 140, and probably greater.
Bones were poorly prcserved in the graveyard. In a few places all that could be seen