Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1991, Page 10

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THE BURIAL SITE OF VIÐ KIRKJUGARÐ
Fig. 11. Grave J6C. Photo: N. Hartmann 1989.
clearly been disturbed, probably as the result
of later cultivation. As a result parts of the
skeleton lay in disorder. As in the case of J6B
the body was found some 30 cms below the
stone cover. Contrary to J6B we found no
signs of a stone frame, a fact that can hardly
be ascribed to later cultivation.
The body had been interred on her back in
a trough-shaped pit. On the basis of height
- 1,60 meters, and an analysis of the teeth
the skeleton is interpreted as belonging to a
grown woman.
The only items found were three rusty iron
bits, one recovered in close conjunction with
her teeth.
Grave K5A
On the surface, K5A consisted of a 2 meter
long and 90 cms wide stone setting of alter-
natively angular and water-worn stones.
These enclosed a rounded rectangular area,
the center of which was relatively free of
stones. K5A seems separated from K5B to
the east by a stone marker. Many of the sur-
face stones had been placed on edge, so that
these and several lower lying stones com-
bined to form a uniform rectangular stone
cist. All in all, the cist consisted of 5-6 stones
in each longside and a stone at each end.
The cist contained the remains of a young
woman, in all probability not over 20 years
of age, who had been interred stretched out
on her back. With her she had a necklace of
glass and amber beads, an iron knife, a comb
made of bone and what may be the remains
of a piece of silver jewellery. In addition we