76 



DWELLINGS OF THE SAGA-TIME IN 



each with a separate roof, but attached to each other, with pas- 

 sages through the thick walls. Near by were usually one or more 

 small outhouses. These dwellings were built on the surface of 

 the ground, which was probably levelled when necessary. The 

 floor was of firmly beaten earth. 



The walls were one and a half meters thick and from one to 

 one and a half meters high. The inner side was built of unhewn 

 stones and the interstices were filled with earth. The outer side 

 was of alternate layers of turf and stones, and the space between 

 the two sides was filled in with earth kneaded hard. When these 

 walls fall, the stones necessarily slip down on either side, and the 

 bottom row with the space between remains almost intact, unless 



is" 



BUthusii i l» 

 Off lagra 



i d Pyrli l S7 Pet a leriffd, Off ITfel a breidj GolAJ i a/Aysmu er stei'nlafff 

 t a-oalhtisinu . a. lannsl aska. ab./annst aska oq hrosstonnur. 



, RUIN OF PAGAN TEMPLE AT THYRLI 



Arbok Hins Islenzka Fornleifafelags, 1880-1881 



unnaturally disturbed. Often, however, the walls were built en- 

 tirely of layers of turf or with only disconnected rows of stones 

 at the base. 



The drawing of the pagan temple at Thyrli shows the manner 

 of laying the inner and outer sides of a wall with the earth be- 

 tween the two. A large stone, of course, extends farther back 

 into this earth between than a small one does. 



The inside measurement of a hall varied from 3 to 7 meters 

 in width and from 10 to 17 meters in length. The plan is of the 

 ruin of Erik the Red's house, shown above from a photograph. 

 A long narrow fire-place usually extended through the middle of 

 the room. This was either paved or surrounded with stones 

 standing on edge, and was about 3 meters long and from 60 to 80 

 centimeters broad. Besides the long fire which served to warm 

 and light the hall, there was a small cooking fire made in the 

 same way, about 1 meter square and raised a few centimeters 



