Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1998, Qupperneq 281

287
Late Holocene Insect Faunas from Mykines,
^aroe Islands, with Observations on
associated Pollen and early Settlement
Records
Seinholosenar skordýrakanningar og endurmeting av tlogsáð-
og búskrásetingum í Mykinesi
Paul C. Buckland1, Kevin J. Edwards1, Jon P. Sadler2 and Mark H. Dinnin3
1: Department of Archaeology and Prehistory, Sheffield University, Northgate House, West Street,
Sheffield S1 4ET, England
Phone: +44 114 222 2913, Fax: +44 114 272 2563, e-mail: P.Buckland@sheffield.ac.uk
2: School of Geography, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
3: School of School of Chemistry, Physics & Environmental Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, BNl 9RH.
Úrtak
Jóhannes Jóhansen hevur fyrr kannað flogsáð í lívrunn-
un setløgum í frágingnari jørð í Lamba í Mykinesi. Flog-
sáðkanningarnar og tann óvanligi veltingarhátturin
vórðu brúkt í eini roynd at vísa á, at havri hevur verið
veltur í Føroyum fyri norrøna tíð. Her verða løgd fram
úrslit av eini nýggjari kanning av steinrunnum klukku-
leivdum í setløgum úr Uldalíð eystan fyri Lamba. Urslit-
ið av hesum kanningum verður lagt fram saman við eini
endurmeting av flogsáðskrásetingunum, stratigrafi og
kolevni 14-dagfestingum í Lamba og har í nánd. Møgu-
leikin verður viðgjørdur fyri, at tað, sum hevur verið
hildið at vera antropokor taxa, veruliga kann hava verið
til staðar í gróðrarøkinum fyri landnám, og samstundis
verða prógv um stratigrafiskt ólag av tí, at lundar hava
grivið holur, eisini viðgjørd. Hetta hevur við sær eina
Utemativa tulking av fomumhvørvinum á staðnum, at
búseting ikki nýtist at hava verið fyri norrøna tíð.
Abstract
Organic deposits in an abandoned field system on Lam-
bi, Mykines have previously been the subject of a pollen
investigation by the late Jóhannes Jóhansen. The pollen
record was used to argue that the atypical field pattern
represented pre-Norse cultivation of oats in the Faroes.
This paper presents the results of a re-examination of
deposits from Uldalíð, east of Lambi, for fossil beetle
remains. The results of this are presented together with
a re-evaluation of the pollen record, stratigraphy and ra-
diocarbon dates from Lambi and adjacent sites. The
possibility that supposedly anthropochorus taxa may ac-
tually have been present in pre-landnam habitats is dis-
cussed together with evidence for stratigraphic distur-
bance caused by burrowing puffins. This leads to an al-
temative interpretation of the palaeoenvironmental se-
quence from the site that does not require pre-Norse set-
tlement.
Fróðskaparrit 46. bók 1998: 287-296