Skáholt 2002 - Nabo

the schoolroom (and the schoolroom as the dormitory). Aligned northwest/southeast, only
1.6m of its eastern end survived the truncation, but it was probably originally c. 9m long.
At 3.5m wide, its walls survived to a height of c. 0.3-0.45m and along the sides of the
wall at regular intervals at the base were large, flat-topped stone blocks interpreted as
post pads. The room had a centrally placed opening 1.05m wide on its eastern side as
access into the adjacent school room [81] (see below), and running from the threshold of
this opening down through the centre of the room east-west was a stone-lined and capped
drain [113]. The original cut of the drain [117] was 1m wide and 0.3m deep, lined with
stone blocks [115] c.0.2m square and flat stone capping flags [114]. The stones had been
disturbed and partially robbed out, probably during removal of the wooden floorboards.
The fill of the drain [116] was almost waterlogged and organically rich, from which an
environmental sample was taken (S9). The primary floor layers associated with the drain
and the room, were dark, organic-rich layers with birch twigs and bark, some
decomposed straw, and occasional flagstones ([102], [095]). It is likely these represent
sub-floor deposits under the removed floorboards, as neither layer was particularly
compact and showed signs of being disturbed.
Abandonment of the room is marked by a thick deposit of turf and stone debris from
wall/roof collapse [069] above the occupation layers. Secondary use of the room,
sometime after abandonment is indicated by an accumulation of iron panned, dark,
organic matter rich with ()horse hair and straw [059/054] suggestive of a stables or byre.
Unlike other parts of the farm excavated this season where rooms had been re-used
directly above the previous floor level, this room seems to have been either left
abandoned or infilled before re-use. The room is certainly much lower down than the
other rooms (c. 0.1m lower than room [81] and over 0.5m lower than room [100]), and it
is possible therefore that the turf debris [069] indicated deliberate infilling to raise the
level of the floor rather than gradual collapse. There is some suggestion of possib le rebuilding
of the walls too, as a section of the northern wall [099] appeared to be of
different phase to the main walls underneath ([130]). Alternatively this wall may be all
that remains of a later structure (see discussion above). All the finds from the re-use of
the building appear to be 18 th century suggesting this happened very soon after the
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