Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2013, Page 92

GUÐRÚN ALDA GÍSLADÓTTIR, JAMES M. WOOLLETT, UGGI ÆVARSSON, CÉLINE DUPONT-HÉBERT,
ANTHONY NEWTON AND ORRI VÉSTEINSSON
found just under the H1300 tephra.
Occupation deposits were found between
the H1300 and V1477 tephras. The most
substantial traces, building walls and ash
deposits overlay the V1477 tephra.
Deposits of turf rubble and turf collapse
separate these three occupation episodes.
The most conclusive remains are found in
a midden consisting of ash, bone and 19th
to 20th century artifacts located on the
westem edge of the farm mound. The
midden appears to have a depth of 35 to
60 cm and extends approximately 6 to 8 m
along the stream edge and less than 2 m
into the mound íforn the stream’s bank.
Brekknakot
Brekknakot is an exception in this study
as it not located in Svalbarðstunga but
was nevertheless one of the estate’s main
assets. It is located high on a south-east
facing slope on the west side of
Svalbarðsá, opposite Svalbarð. It is fírst
mentioned in 1394 as a recently acquired
property of the church at Svalbarð
(Diplomatarium islandicum 3, 588-89).
The farm is referred to both as Brekkur
and Brekknakot, the latter suffíx
indicating that it had lain abandoned for
some time before Svalbarð acquired it.
Brekknakot was unoccupied in 1569
(Bréfabók Guðbrands biskups
Þorlákssonar 1920, 271). In the land
register 1712, Brekknakot has been
deserted but 'if people were willing the
farm could be occupied again'(JÁM,
361). Brekknakot seems to have been
only intermittently occupied until 1811
since when it has been continuously
inhabited (Þomióðsson 1970, 56-57).
The modem house is located on a
levelled mound where the old house used
to be (pers. comm from Haraldur Páll
Guðmundsson, the farmer in Brekknakot).
The contour of the old farm mound is
visible east and south of the residence.
Widely spaced soil cores where taken in
three transects mnning along the mound
slope south, east and north east of the
house. This fairly loose soil core testing
strategy was sufficient to discem whether
and where house mound stratigraphy is
preserved and where household refuse and
fuel waste deposits accumulated. Despite
apparent bulldozing of the upper parts of
the mound and removal of recent turf
buildings, soil coring suggests that there
are portions of an intact farm mound and
peat-ash deposits underlying and
overlying the 1477 ashfall northeast of the
modem house. These stratified deposits
appear capable of supporting further
archaeological investigations.
Fjallalækjarsel
Fjallalækjarsel is in interior farm south of
Svalbarðssel about 8.5 km from the
coast, at an elevation of about 120 m
above sea level. Fjallalækjarsel is not
mentioned in written sources until 1832,
when it was described as a cottage
belonging to Svalbarð (Þormóðsson
1970, 64). It has been occupied almost
constantly since 1832. Like other farms
in the area, Fjallalækjarsel was affected
by the rush of emigration to North
America in 1893, when a couple with
three children moved away.
No deliberate efforts were made to
core around the central part of the modem
farm of Fjallalækjarsel as absolutely no
sign of a farm mound was visible and
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