Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1998, Side 272

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INSECT FAUNAS AT LANDNAM: A PALAEOENTOMOLOGICAL STUDY
AT TJØRNUVÍK; STREYMOY; FAROE ISLANDS
Fig. 1. Location map.
Mynd 1. Støðukort.
impact of landnám (Jóhansen 1971; 1985).
His findings, with the earliest settlement
dated to ca. AD 650, have proved contro-
versial, particularly with archaeologists,
who have pointed to the absence of any
artefactual record for occupation of the
Faroes before the ninth century (e.g. Arge
1989; Debes 1993; Krogh 1986). One his-
torical reference, however, that of the Irish
monk Dicuil, writing ca. 825 in France,
may refer to Faroe, islands two days sailing
out from the coast of Scotland where
culdees, Irish monks, had settled, only to be
driven away by the Norsemen (Tierney
1967). The archaeological problems re-
main unresolved, and Buckland (1992) has
doubted whether either the Tjørnuvík site
or that on Mykines (see also Buckland et al.
1998) were suitable for dating.
In 1985, Jóhansen and Buckland re-
turned to the Tjørnuvík site to obtain a se-
ries of samples for fossil insect analysis.
The original sampling site was relocated,
and a section excavated one metre to the
south in the same hayfield (Fig. 2). The
profile exposed was essentially the same as
the earlier ones, with at least 2.5m of slighi-
ly sandy peat, although the rock base en-
countered by Jóhansen (1971) in his cores
was not reached, despite the similar depth.
The dangerous nature of the 1.5m by l.Om
trench precluded deeper excavation. The
coarse gravel and angular rock debris hori-
zon, which Jóhansen had found at a depth
of 1.55m in his 1968 core sample, was
reached at depth of only 0.9m. In the sev-
enteen years between the two excavations it
is probable that drainage had led to the des
iccation of the upper peat, and it is unfortu
nate that all measurements had been made
from the modern hayfield surface, rather
than a fixed outcrop. Jóhansen, however
was certain that this critical horizon was the
same one, and a series of 3 kg samples was
taken in 75 mm slices from immediately
above the gravel to the base of the section
(Tjl/1-19). The gravel lay immediately
above the palynological evidence for land-
nám, although this was less evident in the
open section used to obtain radiocarbon
samples (Jóhansen, 1971). Preservation of
both plant and insect remains in the lower
part of the profile was poor and research
was concentrated on the samples around
Jóhansen’s landnám horizon (Tjl/1-4). In