Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2013, Page 96

GUÐRÚN ALDA GÍSLADÓTTIR, JAMES M. WOOLLETT, UGGI ÆVARSSON, CÉLINE DUPONT-HÉBERT,
ANTHONY NEWTON AND ORRI VÉSTEINSSON
the 19th century (1843-1850) but no more
after that (Þormóðsson 1970, 58-59). It
has been used as a winter grazing place
with a beitarhús in recent years.
Hjálmarvík is located by the sea, on a
well-drained and well-vegetated
headland on the west site of the Hjálmar
bay, approximately 2 km north of
Svalbarð. Between those two farms, the
landscape is flat and consists of moors
and bogs. The landscape around the site
is open and gives no shelter from the
wind. Instead, it offers a sweeping and
powerful view of the bay and Rauðanes
to the west. Project fíeldwork in
Þistilfjörður has always been undertaken
in the month of June and crews can
vouch that wind-driven sleet and
northerly storms at Hjálmarvík are
anything but pleasant.
In 2009 the mound was cored
systematically. It proved rocky and
difficult to test on the westem side but, in
an area of about 20m by 15m on its
eastem slope, soil core tests found deep
and friable midden deposits with peat ash
and charcoal. A lxl m test trench was
dug near the centre of midden
accumulation and brought to light the
VI477 tephra near the modem ground
surface, overlying thin midden and turf
collapse deposits between H1300 and
V1477. Below the H1300 ash there was a
series of thick and rich midden deposits
containing quantities of fish, land and sea
mammal and bird bone and fuel wastes,
and disturbed turf deposits to a depth of
1.25m. Bone preservation in the midden
is good to excellent, carbonized plant
macrofossils were present and metal
preservation rather poor. Judging by the
typology of recovered artifacts, it is
possible that the midden can be dated
back into the Viking Age (Gísladóttir et
al, 2010, 37-38).
Figure 16. Animal figure carved in a whale
bone plaque. An impressive find from deposit
just above the H1300 tephra in Hjálmarvík.
Having made an initial examination
of the midden, in 2010 and 2011 attempts
were made to define links between the
midden and any adjacent buildings.
House walls and floor deposits were
identified nearby, in a large test trench
about 10 to 20m up the slope to the west.
It became clear that the midden is
considerably older than the remains of
the most recent house structure(s)
observed. The house interior was filled
with post abandonment deposits and
deposits that are likely connected to the
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