Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Síða 74

James Taylor, Guðrún Alda Gísladóttir, Andrea Harðardóttir and Gavin Lucas
Figure. 3. The "Eyri" (peninsula) which the town oflsafjörður is built on. After the abandonment
of Eyri, facing east (c. 1890) (Museum oflsafjörður).
sive archaeological remains throughout
the area. All of the remains encountered
upon this site appear to represent a phase
of 19th century activity - this corre-
sponds well with the documented aban-
donment of the farm in c. 1874.
No previous archaeological
investigation has been undertaken at the
site and little is known about its archaeo-
logical development. As such, the aims
of the project in 2003 were twofold:
1. To assess the nature, extent and preser-
vation of archaeological deposits within
the farm mound at Eyri.
2. To make a record of the surface topo-
graphy of the farm mound.
These steps allowed construction of a
research agenda and the creation of a
framework within which a larger scale
excavation could be performed. At the
outset, one crucial issue was to establish
the level of preservation of the archaeo-
logical record. Since the site is believed
to have been landscaped during the con-
struction of the old hospital and its
grounds, it was important to assess the
degree to which this activity may have
truncated or distúrbed the archaeological
sequence before further research could
be carried out on the site. In order to
address this concem a trial trenching
methodology was adopted. This was
supplemented by measured survey, and a
measured graphic record. Areas targeted
for study were staked out using a total
station theodolite to a local grid system.
Turf, topsoil, and modem overburden
were all removed by hand. All archaeo-
logical deposits thus revealed were also
excavated by hand. Written, and drawn
records of all archaeological deposits
were completed using pro-forma record-
ing systems developed by the Institute of
Archaeology (Fomleifastofnun íslands),
and supplemented by photography as
appropriate. All fmds were recovered
and located by single context.
In total, three trial trenches, 5x2
m long, were excavated in the fírst year
(fig. 4). All trenches were orientated
northwest-southeast. Trenches A and B
targeted shallow depressions on the top
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