Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 97

Excavations at Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík
ing degree. Skeletons 7.2 and 8.2a have
lost teeth ante-mortem, 8.2a and 8.4 have
enamel hypoplasia, as has already been
discussed, and 8.4 has a large carious
lesion. There are a total of fifty-three
teeth present in the collection and eleven
have been lost ante-mortem. Of the fifty-
three present, twenty-three (43%) have
enamel hypoplasia. Forty-five have cal-
culus of which thirty-two (60%) are
grade 1, twelve (23%) are grade 2 and
one (2%) is grade 3. There is one (2%)
caries.
The Coffins
The coffins from Flólskirkja were vari-
ously preserved; in general, those at the
westem end were in extremely poor con-
dition, usually just fragments of the
sides, bases and lids of coffins that had
also been compressed. Consequently,
they had no recognizable form. On the
other hand the coffins further east were
increasingly in better condition, and in
total seven were lifted. Infant coffins,
being small, were the easiest to retrieve
whole and three of these were lifted
intact (7.1, 7.7 and 11.1), while a third
was lifted in pieces (8.3). Three adult
coffins were also lifted for further exam-
ination (3.1, 7.2 and 8.4) but these had to
be dismantled in the ground because of
the size of the excavation pits; this result-
ed in some damage and not all elements
could always be retrieved as they were
too difficult to reach.
The excavated coffins clearly
exhibit a great deal of variability and
each is more or less unique; however, a
basic typology can still be made:
Type 1 is a lidded or roofed coffin with
separate box and lid. Hexagonal in pro-
file, it was the most elaborate in con-
struction with mitred joins and beading
along the edges, sometimes with elabo-
rate keel tops (3.1 and 11.1); one without
a keel had a cross carved on the top (7.2).
While most the elements were nailed
together, planks joined along the same
plane were dowelled. Two coffins also
had decoration in the form of attached
leather pattems - wreaths, flowers and
stars (11.1 and 10.3). Coffin 11.1 also
had copper alloy crosses, two on each
side, though only one remained in situ.
The larger coffin 7.2 also had rope han-
dles along the lower base, three on each
side. Identified burials with this type of
coffin included 7.2, 10.3 (unexcavated)
and 11.1, and probably 3.1.
Type 2 is a single box coffin, hexagonal
in profile and with a square cross carved
on the top plank. The side, base and top
planks all overlap the head and feet plates
onto which they are nailed. Identified
burials of this type included 7.1.
Type 3 is a single box coffin, hexagonal
in profile but not equilateral as with Type
2 - rather the base is the widest and the
top, the shortest. As with Type 2, the side,
base and top planks all overlap the head
and feet plates onto which they are
nailed. Identified burials of this type
include 7.7.
Type 4 is a single box coffin, octagonal
in profile and equilateral. It had a cross
carved on the top plank and three rope
handles on each side along the base. The
sides, base and top planks all overlap the
head and feet plates onto which they are
nailed. The lid and end plates were in two
sections and dowelled. Identified burials
of this type include 8.4.
95