Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 79

Eyri in Skutulsfjörður
Material No. fragments Find categories
Bone - Unworked animal bones (4,5 kg).
Shell - Unworked shell (14 g).
Textile 2 Woven cloths.
Copper alloy 14 Copper alloy: Fitting (8), coin (2), button (1), rivet (1), plate (1), Vessel? (1).
Lead alloy 4 Sheeting (2), object (2).
Iron 370 Nails (185), rivets (19), fish hooks (16), slag (17), knifes (6), barb vire (3), vessels (6), rings (4), horseshoes (4), buckle (1), handle (1), lock (1), hinge (1), spike (1), staple (1), lid (1), loop (1), pipe (1), str uctural fittings other than nails (51). Unidentified objects: Plates (21), lumps (16), objects (5) pins (8).
Stone 37 Whetstones (14), coal (14), fish hammer (2), chalk (1), roof tile (2) ,writing slates (2), sinker (1), fragment? (1).
Glass 177 Window glass, vessels, buttons (3).
Ceramic 980 Bricks (57), pottery (895), clay pipes (28).
Composite 3 Objects (2), knife (1).
Plastic Total 2 1589 Fragments.
Table 1. Finds: material, count andfind categories.
town of ísafjörður and its nearest sur-
roundings were quite fashionable for the
period in question. Other material pres-
ent includes structural fíttings, mostly
nails but also a hinge, staple and lock.
Boat rivets and físh hooks form a rather
large group, not surprisingly for a site
that relied on the sea as well as agricul-
ture for a living. The most common fish
hook type has flattened head and a barb
(fíg. 6). Window glass and glass vessels
are also a large group, the vessels being
predominantly bottles (some datable to
19th century). Domestic objects like an
iron cauldron and pots are present and
also common are multi-purpose objects
such as knifes, all large “kitchen” type
knifes. A small collection of clay pipe
fragments was recovered, mostly stems,
but with fragments from two bowls.
There were few diagnostic pieces but, on
the whole, the collection appears to be
mid 18th-early 19th century in date. The
pipes are most likely to be Dutch, though
only one was stamped, GOUDA and with
the maker [...jARTEN. Personal items
were few: three glass buttons, all with
four holes, and a small copper alloy rivet,
probably a clothing item. Organic mate-
rial is not a major group in the finds
assemblage. No bone artefacts, leather
or wood were found, only two well-pre-
served textile fragments of woven cloth
(wool). Nevertheless, 4.5 kg of very well
preserved unworked bone (food waste)
were retrieved both of fish and domestic
animals. The lack of organic material
can perhaps be considered a token of
reuse of materials.
It must be noted that because of
the farm being abandoned in 1874 and
then probably used for dumping and
other purposes at least until 1925, it is
quite probable that the excavated
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