Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Page 40

Elín Ósk Hreiðarsdóttir, Guðrún Alda Gísladóttir,
Kristborg Þórsdóttir And Ragnheiður Gló Gylfadóttir
Figure 4. A map showing the thickness and direction oftephrafrom Hekla in
historical times. Map: Sólnes ed. 2013, 197.
on the settled landscape. In the brief over-
view that follows the focus is on the erup-
tions that have had the greatest impact in
Rangárvellir.
The 1104 eruption is thought to have
been an explosive eruption as there is no
evidence of lava flow. It is considered to
be the greatest tephra eruption in his-
toric times in Iceland. The tephra covered
Þjórsárdalur valley and a settlement in
Hrunamannaafréttur and has traditionally
been considered a major contributor to the
abandonment of both areas (Eldjárn 1949;
Þórarinsson 1949). This eruption likely
contributed to the common belief in medi-
eval Europe that the gateway to hell was to
be found in Hekla (ísleifsson 1996, 20-24).
The 14* century was marked by fre-
quent disturbances in Hekla. In the year
1300 the volcano erupted causing con-
siderable damage. Contemporary sources
state that the pumice from the eruption de-
stroyed a couple of farms and that a third
farm was submerged by the lava (Biskupa-
sögur I, 803-804; Islandske annaler, 52,
146). The next eruption was in 1341 and,
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