Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.1998, Page 92

Adolf Friðriksson & Orri Vésteinsson
FORNLEIFARANNSÓKNIR Á
HOFSTÖÐUM í
MÝVATNSSVEIT 1995
Gryfja sunnan skála
This report deals with the second phase of preliminary investigations at Hofstaðir
which took place in 1995. This time the oval depression south of the large hall at
Hofstaðir was the focus of the research. Previous investigations had revealed that the
depression was fílled with refuse, charcoal, ash, fire-cracked stones and animal
bones, both burnt and unburnt. In 1908 this was interpreted as a purpose built
refuse pit but after re-examining one of the sections Olaf Olsen offered a new ex-
planation in 1966 that this was in fact a gigantic cooking pit used to prepare food
for the religious feasts that took place in the large hall. In 1995 the earlier trenches
were re-excavated and a new trench was dug between the pit and the large-hall to
examine the relationship between the two structures. At the bottom of the
previously excavated trenches a greyish-black hard trodden layer was observed below
a layer of collapsed turf. Above this three principal phases of refuse deposition were
identified, each divided in thinner lenses possibly representing individual events of
deposition. The depression is interpreted as the remains of a sub-rectangular pit
house with small turf walls on the edges. After the pit house fell out of use its walls
and roof-structure have collapsed and refuse has then been thrown into the basin.
The top-most rubbish layer could be traced continuously in the interconnecting
trench under a wall associated with the long house. The cut of the pit house was
taken from a horizon just above the Landnám tephra of AD 871 ±2 suggesting a
time of building around AD 880.
Adolf Friðriksson & Orri Vésteinsson, Fornleifastofnun íslands, Bárugötu 3, 101 Reykjavík
Keywords: Viking Age, Settlement Archaeology, Temple Farm Theory, Pit House.
Inngangur
I framhaldi af athugunum á Hofstöð-
um 1992 var gerð ný rannsókn sumar-
ið 1995 á vegum Fornleifastofnunar Is-
lands. Fyrri athuganir höfðu m.a. leitt
í ljós að aðstæður til rannsókna væru
óvenju heppilegar á Hofstöðum, varð-
veisluskilyrði í jarðvegi góð og jafn-
framt fannst fjöldi gjóskulaga sem
auðvelduðu aldursákvörðun á mann-
vistarleifunum. Niðurstöður uppgraft-
arins 1992 voru m.a. þær að fleiri og
hugsanlega eldri byggingarstig er að
finna við skálatóftina stóru. Við athug-
anir fyrr á öldinni hafði aðeins verið
gert ráð fyrir einu byggingarstigi á
Archaeologia Islandica 1 (1998) 92-109