Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2002, Side 127

Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2002, Side 127
Enduring Impacts: Viking Age Settlement in Iceland and Greenland Hjaltastaðaþinghá were single estates with a number of small cottages. The estate of Saurbær for instance had up to 20 cottages at one time or other either scattered around the main farmstead or on the peripheries of the estate. The other estates at Hagi and Brjánslækur were smaller, and at Brjánslækur the majority of the cottages were in a valley belonging to the estate at a considerable distance from the main farmstead. The topography of this area has to a large extent dictated the way in which the land outside the large estates was divided up. Large simple settlements dominate the region as a whole, occupying most of the small inlets and river estuaries whereas smaller evenly sized (planned) settle- ments occupy the thin coastal strips (Orri Vésteinsson & Sædís Gunnarsdóttir 1997, 20-28). In both Hjaltastaðaþinghá and Barðaströnd-Rauðasandur the landscape is dominated by large complex settle- ments and large simple settlements whereas planned settlements are relative- ly few and restricted to marginal areas. If we look at an area with larger continuous farmable land and more favorable condi- tions for agriculture the pattem becomes very different. In Borgarfjörður, large complex settlements and large simple settlements dominate the wet and low lying areas bordering on the major river Hvítá. The narrower river valleys branching oflf into the highlands are dom- inated by small or middle sized farm- steads, regularly spaced and with more or less evenly sized properties. The two narrower valleys, Skorradalur and Lundarreykjadalur each have their large settlements, a large estate and a large simple settlement in the former and a group of large simple settlements in the latter but most of the land is divided between small or middle sized properties (Orri Vésteinsson 1996, 12-25). As far as current research is able to determine these pattems are repeated all over the country. The proportion of each type of settlement varies between regions, usually governed by the restric- tions of topography where the land most favorable for cattle based agriculture is dominated by large complex settlements whereas narrow valleys and stretches of coast tend to be dominated by regularly spaced and evenly sized settlements. A model of North-Atlantic Settlement processes In the Book of Settlements there is a story about a chieftain who bought a large piece of land in Borgarfjörður: “Blund-Ketill was a very rich man; he had the forest cleared in many places and established settlements there.” (Jakob Benediktsson ed. 1968, 84 - authors’ transl.) This is a tradition related to that of Skallagrímr, the common theme being that the landnám was organized by pow- erful men. It also suggests that in the 13th century there were traditions to the effect that medium sized or small farm- steads were in origin planned settlements organized by the chieftains of the land- nám period. These traditions are in good accordance with the settlement patterns observed in both Greenland and Iceland. In both countries the richest farmland is occupied by either large estates (Sandnes and Garðar in Greenland, Saurbær and 125
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