Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1971, Blaðsíða 146

154 A Palaeobotanical Study Indicating a Previking Settlement
longifolius and R. obtusifolius from their fruits, which are
numerous from the landnam horizon up to present day. Inte-
resting also is the large amount of Montia seeds, which are
found starting from just above the settlement level. Their
presence is another proof of the landnam, as it is an indicator
of contamination. It clearly favours wet places which are
manured by animals or people. Strangely enough, only a few
pollen grains are encountered.
Other local plants which are represented by their seeds are
Menyanthes, Caltha, Ranunoulus flammula, Carex sp. These
plants are also found under the settlement horizon.
Apart from seeds, small pieces of peat, either burnt or often
only dried, are found regularly after the landnam and indicate
how important peat was as fuel. No charcoal layers are
found.
Several operculi of some marine snails are found above the
settlement horizon. Whether they were thrown there by people
or have blown from the beach, we cannot know.
The macrofossil analyses will be continued; they are of
great importance in this area, where the number of plants
which can be identified specifically by their pollen is so
small.
The radiocarbon datings. In the second profile (Plate 2),
two samples were radiocarbon — dated: the above-mentioned
moss layer and the landnam horizon. The result is seen in the
pollen diagram. The earliness of the landnam was unexpected;
it was a priori supposed to be viking age, as the graves are.
Two new samples were therefore taken as a control. The land-
nam horizon was found by pollen analysis, and the two
samples were taken a few rnetres away from the two previ-
ously dated. The result was: 650 a.d. + 100 years and 620
a.d. + 100 years.
From these datings of the landnam horizon we must con-
clude that Tjørnuvík was coionised sometime between 600 and
650 a.d.