VIKING UNST PROJECT: FIELD SEASON 2008 - Nabo

five barley grains and a single oat grain from this assemblage, the barley being quite largeand plump.The other samples from this settlement are from the central area of the structure, the SWannexe and the SE annexe. Compared to some of the occupation surfaces and hearths fromHamar House 1, the Underhoull samples do not appear to be as rich. Concentrations ofcereal grains are relatively low but both hulled barley and oat have been identified. As atHamar, many of the grains are abraded and the oats are frequently better preserved than thebarley. The taphonomic implications of this are not yet clear but further work may offersome insights. Some of the grains show dimpled surfaces. This is a common feature ongrains recovered from sites in the Northern Isles (e.g. Bond 2007, 184-185) and may implyharvesting while the grains are immature, early germination (either in storage or asdeliberate malting) or fungal disease.As at Hamar, no oat floret bases have yet been identified. However, oat is present in five ofthe seven samples processed to date, compared to the occurrence of barley in six. Thiswould again imply that oat was in common usage at the site even if it cannot be used toimply cultivation, although the number of grains is generally lower than barley.The wild taxa, are similar to those from the houses at Hamar and many other sites in theregion (e.g. Bond 2007, 173-193; Dickson 1999, 113-117; Donaldson 1986, 216-219; Bond& Summers in press), include: Ranunculus spp. (Buttercups); Montia Fontana (Blinks);Stellaria media (Chickweed); Spergula arvensis (Corn Spurrey); Rumex spp. (Dockens);Empetrum nigrum (Crowberry); Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort Plantain); Potamogeton sp.(Pondweed); Carex spp. (Sedges); and Poa sp. (Meadow Grass). As at Hamar House 1 andHouse 2, heathland and boggy areas are represented along with likely weeds of cultivation.Large quantities of peat and the frequent remains of heather were also recovered from mostof the Underhoull samples, suggesting that similar environments were exploited in thesurrounding area for fuel resources, as at Hamar.4.2.3 Discussion and concluding remarksWith the relative absence of faunal remains from any of the three structures excavated,botanical remains represent our best opportunity to investigate their economies. In addition,cereal grains from these assemblages form the basis for the radiocarbon dating programme.A number of important dates have already been produced using cereal grains recoveredfrom samples taken in the 2007 season (Outram et al., Chapter 5, this volume).Societies in areas such as Unst, as in other parts of the Scottish Isles, are frequentlyperceived as marginal by modern eyes (e.g. Harding 2004: 12). In addition to the largenumbers of identified Viking and Norse homesteads (Bond et al. Chapter 1, this volume),these newly excavated datasets can perhaps also contribute to an argument against suchbiases. It has already been considered that a number of the wild plant taxa in theassemblages from Hamar represent crop weeds which would suggest local cultivation ofcereal crops rather than import from other parts of the archipelago (Bond et al. 2007: 78-79). The results to date from the 2008 season add further weight to this view and the earlyassessment of material from the Upper House at Underhoull is producing similar results. It55