Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2009, Page 71

Note on barley found at Reynistaður
Figure 5. Photo of barley kernels from flotation sample of Layer 11.
Agricultural fields may also have
been the source of the weedy plant seeds
that we recovered. Chickweed account-
ed for nearly half of the seed assemblage
in Layer 11. They are a common con-
taminant of grain stores and are fre-
quently found in animal dung. Chickweed
is a low-growing weed, which invades
cultivated fields and disturbed areas
around habitations (Renfrew 1973:164).
These seeds may have been ingested as
the livestock grazed in barnyards or on
harvested fields. Polygonum is a cosmo-
politan genus, tolerating a variety of
environmental conditions, and the seeds
we recovered may have come from
heathlands, disturbed areas, or wetlands.
Seeds from grasses were present
although grassland plants were not well
represented in the Layer 11 botanical
assemblage. In contrast wetland taxa,
specifically Cyperaceae, dominated and
comprised almost half of the assem-
blage. This suggests that the livestock
were allowed to graze in these areas as
well.
The plant remains recovered from
Layer 11 largely tell us about three
activities: fuel use, field agricultural
practices and livestock grazing. The pres-
ence of barley grains and chaff suggests
that the people of Reynistaður cultivated
this grain. It is clear that the early inhab-
itants were utilizing two fuel sources,
wood and animal dung. While the seed
assemblage associated with the dung is
most similar to that of sheep found by
Ross and Zutter (2007), we cannot deter-
rnine if the dung comes from sheep, cat-
tle or both. We can suggest that the peo-