Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 101

Excavations at Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík
5KÁLH0LT Í0MKIR.KE. REK8HSTWÍKSJDK AV KÍSTE 2. siál»olt»
..............................._jiM.ni---------------.---1---■---■---■--:---Iloc*
Figure 13. Drawing of coffm of type 1 from Skálholt.
ered in a fíne shroud (of perhaps muslin
or silk). Similar fme textile fragments
were found in coffin 8.4, while more
basic woolen textile fragments came
from 12.1. Coffin nails were all iron, but
in most cases, identification was not pos-
sible as they were still in situ; however,
those that were visible or loose, were all
wrought, with square sections and rose-
heads. A few of the coffíns had wooden
dowel pins, but these were exclusively
used to join planks together on the same
plane to form a wider section.
The Loose Finds
Most of the fínds recovered from the
excavations comprise iron nails, all asso-
ciated with coffins. These all appear to be
wrought nails and do not exhibit any
identifiable variability between coffíns,
although there is general variation in
length. Given the hand-made nature of
these nails, they are unlikely to date
much after 1900. Other coffin fumiture
includes various wooden fíxtures includ-
ing a fínial and a decorative flower (nei-
ther of which can be attributed, howev-
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