Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.1998, Síða 138

I. A. Simpson, K.B. Milek & Garðar Guðmundsson
(Pr. 2/1, 2/2; Pr. 3/3, 3/4; Pr. 4/1, 4/2,
4/3; figs. 2 & 3). The microstructure
and compaction of the Hekla-3/soil
layer, which will be visible in thin
section, will provide information
about the relative amount of tram-
pling that had occurred in each of the
sampled areas. The identification of
areas of heavier and lighter traffic will
be especially important where there
was no accumulation of debris above
the original floor surface, making the
use of space more difficult to interpret.
Although micromorphologists have
tended to associate trampling with
horizontal cracks in the substrate, the
physical behaviour of soils is highly
variable. Since volcanic ash and an-
disols tend to have unusual physical
and chemical characteristics, such as
very low bulk densities and very high
plastic and liquid limits, future re-
search wiil explore how these materials
would have behaved as living surfaces.
Experiments will include tests of shear
strength, compressive strength, and
water retention, which have implica-
tions for the movement of the sedi-
ment under trampling and its ability
to absorb liquid and solid refuse. All
of these factors would have affected the
living conditions within the structure.
In the metre-long profile between
Bruun’s trench and the eastern wall of
the structure, it was possible to see
that Hekla-3 had been disrupted by a
series of depressions and small pits.
The stratigraphic sequence of these
features is clear. The three depressions,
which are the earliest in the strati-
graphic sequence, are very distinctive
features and deserve some attention.
They have been identified as
138