Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1991, Page 16

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THE BURIAL SITE OF VIÐ KIRKJUGARÐ .
rules out the possibility of the burials dating
from the period in which the Faroes became
Christian - that is around AD 1000.
As our knowledge of early Faroese burial
customs is as yet so restricted, there is no way
in which we can determine to what degree
the site at Sandur reflects local or general
Faroese custom and, consequently, whether
the burials are representative of respectively
heathen or Christian custom.
It seems fair to assume, that the first peo-
ple to adopt the Christian faith were persons
of a certain social status, probably belonging
to the leading families of the time. In this
respect it would be interesting, if we could,
via the archaeological material, establish the
contemporary social status of the buried. In
the case of Tjørnuvík, the burials and their
appointments are interpreted as reflecting a
plain and homely standard (Dahl 1968:191;
1970:65). However, as we have so little an
idea of how representative the material at
hand is, it is extremely difficult, if not im-
possible, to draw any conclusions as to the
social status the burials reflect.
Further research into the nature of the bu-
rials must naturally include other archaeo-
logical observations. The relationship be-
tween the graves and the flagged paving un-
covered in 1972 requires closer investiga-
tions. Likewise, the relationship between the
graves and the oldest church - Church 1 -
excavated in 1969-70. It is, for instance, in-
teresting to note that both the graves and the
church are orientated with almost the same
divertions from the exact east-west.
Conclusions
As is clear from the above, it is as yet too ear-
ly to date the individual burials or the site as
a whole. Likewise the question of whether
the site is heathen or Christian is still an
open one. It is hoped that further excavation
will provide us with additional information
that can clarify many of the problems raised
here. In this respect the C-14 dating of sam-
ples taken from the graves will hopefully
help us in the right direction.
The hoard of coins unearthened in 1863
together with the excavations within the
church itself, the old churchyard and the new
have long provided us with tantalizing glimp-
ses of what is hidden beneath the earth here.
When today’s remains and results are
evaluated in the light of recent studies in set-
tlement history and research into the rela-
tionship between farmstead and church
(Thorsteinsson 1978, 1981; Krogh 1983) it
must be aknowledged that the church site at
Sandur is one of the most important and
promising ancient sites in the Faroes.
References
Andersen, Pia L. 1978: Antropologisk undersøgelse af
skeletter udgravet pá Færøerne. Institut for etnologi
og antropologi. Københavns Universitet. December
1978. (Unpubl. thesis)
Arge, Símun V. 1990: Landnamet pá Færøerne. En dis-
kussion og vurdering af teorierne om, hvornár det
fandt sted, med særlig vægt pá teorier baseret pá ar-
kæologisk materiale. Hovedfagsspeciale i middelal-
der-arkæologi, Aarhus Universitet 1986. Publ. by
Føroya Fornminnissavn and »Middelalder-arkæolo-
gisk Nyhedsbrev«. Tórshavn and Højbjerg.
Arge, Símun V. and Niels Hartmann 1990: Fornur
grevstur við Kirkjugarð heima á Sandi. Mondul
1990/1, pp.18-32. Tórshavn.
Dahl, Sverri 1968: Fortidsminder. Trap Danmark, 5. ed.
Vol. XIII, pp.188-211. København.
Dahl, Sverri 1970: The Norse Settlement of the Faroe Is-
lands. Medieval Archaeology, Vol. XIV, pp.60-73.
London.
Dahl, Sverri and Jóannes Rasmussen 1956: Víkinga-
aldargrøv í Tjørnuvík. Fróðskaparrit 5. bók, pp.
153-167. Tórshavn.