Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2002, Qupperneq 50

Bruno Berson
Fig. 14: The byre and the barn at the site of Sámsstaðir in Þjórsárdalur. After Sveinbjörn
Rafnsson, 1972.
to be too irregular to be a proper pave-
ment but suggested that they had been
laid on the floor to keep it from getting
too muddy. The floor sloped somewhat
from north to south but no distinct
entrance could be discemed on the south-
ern gable. Although this building clearly
post-dates one of the long-houses it
seems nevertheless to be of Viking age
date, evidenced by the fínds of steatite
sherds, a glass bead and a pig's tooth (Þór
Magnússon 1972).
In 1971 and 1972 Sveinbjöm Rafnsson
carried out an excavation at the farm
Sámsstaðir in Þjórsárdalur (Sveinbjöm
Rafnsson 1976). The site had been par-
tially ecavated earlier, by Þorsteinn
Erlingsson in 1895 (Þorsteinn Erlingsson
1899). Like the other sites in
Þjórsárdalur Sámsstaðir has been
believed to date from the eleventh centu-
ry, as it was infilled by tephra from the
Hekla 1104 eruption, but remains of an
older house were discovered below the
main structure thought to date from the
tenth century. A bridle fragment from the
eleventh century was found in the
dwelling supporting an 1 lth century date
for the site. In light of more recent inves-
tigations at Stöng the dating of
Sámsstaðir has however been thrown
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