Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2013, Page 40

SÓLVEIG GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR BECK
(1999, 74-75) suggests is a “butchery
pattern of removing the lower leg andfeet,
(which are low in useable meat or fat)
before cooking, or preservation.” At
Kárahnjúkar geese bones were largely
from lower and upper wings and legs
along with a collection of clavicles and
furucula and traces of vertebrae
(Rosenlund 2007). A very large part of the
bone remains collected at the farm Skuggi
in Hörgárdalur (late 1 Oth-12th century
contexts; Harrison 2010, 52 and 71) was
also fragments of long bone shafts along
with long bone ends and phalanges. Parts
of the identifiable assemblage were raven
bones (at least 10%; table 2) and Harrison
suggests that ravens might have been
eaten. The fact that very little other than
long bones were found could support that
idea, especially if the carcasses were
stored in whey. Larger bones can often
show signs of disarticulation for
consumption purposes (Harrison 2010,
71; Hamilton-Dyer 2010, 33) and/or some
form of use, e.g. as straws. Three wing
bones fforn a swan, for example, were
found at Skriðuklaustur monastery (late
15th to 16th century contexts;
Hamilton-Dyer 2010, 45), which all seem
to have been cut at both ends to form long
hollow tubes (figure 2). It is not unlikely
that these were meant to serve as straws
for the patients that were nursed there
(Kristjánsdóttir 2010).
Figure 2 - Modified radius bone from the
wing of a swan (no. 70678, ~15 cm long),
possibly served as a straw (Hamilton-Dyer
2010, 46; courtesy of Steinunn
Kristjánsdóttir).
Skins and feathers, trimmings
and quills
Most birds were plucked, often with the
aid of a short knife with a rectangular
blade (Kristjánsson 1986,194 and 211), as
the skin was a vital fat source and feathers
and down were a valuable commodity
both in inland trade and export. Puffin
chick feathers for example were separated
depending on where they were on the
body. Chest and neck feathers were kept
separate from the back feathers, as the
back feathers were usually coarser. Wing
feathers were often mixed with the back
feathers. After plucking, the feathers were
cleaned and dried, usually on a sunny day,
or wind dried in bags in drying shacks.
Some heated them in pots before cleaning
but this was thought to make the product
less valuable (Kristjánsson 1986,
218-222). Feathers and down of most
birds could be used in mattresses, duvets
and pillows. Coarser feathers (e.g. back
feathers, wing and tail feathers), or barbs
cut from the stems of such feathers, were
usually used in mattresses while the finer
feathers and down (mostly from the
abdomen) were either used in pillows and
duvets, or sold for export. When barbs
were cut ffom the shaft, it was usually
bumed or thrown away (table 1). Most
bird species, excepting Fulmars, produced
satisfactory down and feathers for export.
After plucking, Fulmar feathers were
often so covered in oil spit they could only
be used as fuel. To clean them some
people left them out in the rain before
drying, while others heated them in pots
and dried in windy weather. In Mýrdalur
the feathers were allowed to rot.
Afterwards the maggots were shaken out
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