Skáholt 2002 - Nabo

occupation accumulation. This primary layer was an iron panned, turf deposit [090] with
an upper lens of greyish silt probably representing the accumulation of material through
the floorboards. Set in this layer and close to the centre of the room was a large stone c.
0.5m square, worked on its sides and with its upper surface smoothed and concave . This
stone may represent a large post-pad for a timber post supporting an upper storey, but it
seems un-necessarily worked, unless it had been re-used. Its original use could have been
as a work surface, perhaps for beating dried fish, but if it is in its primary position, it
would have stood low on the ground, only about 0.25m above the floor.
Assuming the floorboards were originally over this layer but since removed, the next
deposit was primary roof/wall collapse [077], and contained the richest group of finds,
most of which occurred along the eastern side of the room, while in the south-east corner
was a discrete lens of charcoal. Above this was a further series of turf wall/roof collapse
layers ([066], [049]) with some ashy lenses. The uppermost part of the room was filled
with modern leveling [036], which had been pushed into the hollow of the room when it
was a ruin.
Plate II. Western rooms under excavation
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