VIKING UNST PROJECT: FIELD SEASON 2008 - Nabo

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within a deposit, such as disposal of refuse, the presence of manure, plant remains and ash,and the preparation of food (Terry et al. 2004; Guttmann et al. 2005; Bethell and Máté1989; 303; Middleton 2004; 53-54). The abundance and stability of this element within thearchaeological record therefore supports its use as an indicator of human activity. However,the fact that so many processes result in an enhancement of phosphate complicates thesignificance of the results, making it difficult to determine what an enhanced phosphatesignal specifically relates to for the site in question (Middleton 2004; 55).In terms of the assessment of the material from Hamar and Underhoull, the relativeconcentrations of both organic and inorganic phosphates will be compared, providing someindication of the source that dominates the phosphorus signal of the samples. The sampleswill be processed using the standard molybdenum blue colorimetry method using 0.1g ofdried and sieved material (Murphy and Riley 1962, in Holliday and Ganter 2007; 309). Apreliminary assessment of the potential of phosphate analysis has been carried out byRobert Legg from the lower room at Hamar (Legg 2007) and has produced some promisingresults. However, the assessment and interpretation of these samples is ongoing.4.6.3 Soil LipidsThe preservation of lipids within archaeological contexts has been frequently demonstratedwithin the literature (Copley et al. 2005; Heron et al. 1991; Bull et al. 1999; Simpson et al.1999; Heron 2001). It has been demonstrated that key lipid biomarkers can be used toidentify the activities that were occurring. Of importance to the assessment of the depositsat Hamar is the identification of lipids associated with manure. The main lipids of interestare 5β-stigmastanol and coprostanol, lipids frequently associated with herbivorous faecalremains. In addition, bile acids have also been shown to persist in archaeological soils, suchas deoxycholic and lithocholic acid, which are indicative of both human and cattle faecalremains (Simpson et al. 1999; 223; Simpson et al. 1998; 742; Heron 2001; 569). Thepresence of these key lipid biomarkers within the samples collected from Hamar wouldindicate the presence of faecal matter within the lower room of House 1. This in turn couldbe used to suggest whether the lower room was used as a byre during its final use.A total of six samples were collected for analysis from the lower room and prepared forassessment using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This technique is oneof the most effective methods of separating, detecting and identifying complex mixtures oflipids (Evershed 1993; 359). This work is in its preliminary phases at present, but will becrucial for the understanding of the function of House 1 within its later period of use.4.6.4 pH measurementsThe measurement of pH indicates the relative acidity or alkalinity for a given sample.Human activity on a site can influence the pH level of the local area through the addition ofcertain materials, such as ash, mortar, vegetation etc. In addition to this, the pH of a depositwill affect the preservation of certain types of materials, as well as the stability of certainelements, such as phosphorus within a deposit. pH measurements will therefore add vitalbackground information to the study of these deposits. Samples were processed using aJenway Model 3150 pH meter using 10-15ml of material.62
63Figure 4.1: The graphical representation of the magnetic susceptibility survey of the lower room of House 1, Hamar, plottedusing Golden Software Surfer 8. Image produced by Robert Friel (<strong>2008</strong>). The axis relate to the site grid points (x and y), withthe intensity scale relating to the strength of magnetic susceptibility recorded by the deposits, measured in SI units. Darkercolours correspond to higher values of magnetic susceptibility recorded at that location.
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VIKING UNST PROJECTEXCAVATIONS AT H
Page 3 and 4:
This is a provisional report on the
Page 5 and 6:
PART TWO: PERSONNEL AND RELATED RES
Page 7 and 8:
PART ONEEXCAVATIONS AT HAMAR &THE U
Page 9 and 10:
A geophysical survey of the site wa
Page 11 and 12: The 2006 & 2007 excavation seasonsT
Page 13 and 14: sites are multiperiod settlements s
Page 15 and 16: more complex; geophysics would be a
Page 17 and 18: floor surface included fragments of
Page 19 and 20: Lower room & ash pitWork also concl
Page 21 and 22: Figure 2.2: Plan of the sunken floo
Page 23 and 24: External DepositsA section was exca
Page 25 and 26: along the north edge (open side) of
Page 27 and 28: Figure 2.5: The south east annexe,
Page 29 and 30: At the lower (easternmost) end of t
Page 31 and 32: 3. SUMMARY OF FINDS FROM THE 2008 S
Page 33 and 34: 46mm) with working marks on three s
Page 35 and 36: 3.2.2 A geological assessment of th
Page 37 and 38: minerals are chemically stable in n
Page 39 and 40: the same stone. SF721 (context [117
Page 41 and 42: context [185] is a fine example of
Page 43 and 44: close proximity of steatite outcrop
Page 45 and 46: oom. The three body sherds are fair
Page 47 and 48: Greenland and Iceland that a number
Page 49 and 50: channel changes from U-shaped to V-
Page 51 and 52: 4. ENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCEJ.M. Bond,
Page 53 and 54: The cereals recovered are hulled si
Page 55 and 56: five barley grains and a single oat
Page 57 and 58: 4.3.2 The Upper House, UnderhoullAs
Page 59 and 60: [176]. The identification of microl
Page 61: iron within the soils (Gaffney & Ga
Page 65 and 66: SitecodeSamplecodeContext SFnumberA
Page 67 and 68: presence of tephra within the depos
Page 69 and 70: has been widely criticised as too g
Page 71 and 72: Outram, Z., Cussans, J.E., Summers,
Page 73 and 74: Level Two StudentsKirsty BennellJoh
Page 75 and 76: 8. BIBLIOGRAPHYAlsvik, H. and Batey
Page 77 and 78: Davidson, D.A. and Simpson, I.A. 20
Page 79 and 80: McDonnell, J.G. 2000. Pyrotechnolog
Page 81 and 82: 700s-800s: a potential alternative
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VIKING UNST PROJECT: FIELD SEASON 2008 - Nabo

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