Medeltida syllstensgrund, stolpbyggnad och brya : Arkeologisk undersökning 2021

In April and May 2021, Uppsala University Campus Gotland performed an archaeological investigation at Västergarn, 25 kilometres southwest of Visby, as part of an advanced field course in archaeology. Two trenches were investigated, covering an area of 90 m2. The purpose was to reinvestigate post-holes, remains of a wooden floor and a water hole unearthed in 2013. Further to understand how these remains relate to a number of Late Viking Age artefacts discovered in the same area. As a result it could be established that the wooden floor belongs to a medieval house foundation with corner-hearth and a partly preserved stone-lined sill. The foundation is mainly dated by shards of Baltic ware to the period 1100/1125-1230. Find concentrations of iron tools adjacent to the hearth, iron armory plates and glass beads may indicate a small workshop. The Viking Age artefacts relate to a separate post-hole building probably dated to the 11th century. The date and the function of the water hole remain inconclusive. The large amount of animal bones deposited in the stone paved water hole, among them a high proportion of horse bones indicates a function as a well for grazing cattle in the area during the dry season. A coin-like copper pendant with pseudo-Islamic glyphs found adjacent to the water hole underlines Viking Age activity in the area. The results show that the house remains in the area investigated probably belong to the outer precinct of the harbour settlement in Västergarn. This particular area within the Västergarn rampart was settled presumably between AD 1000/1050-1200/1230. Findings such as cultural layers, strengthens indications of a complex and active settlement in the late Viking and early medieval period.Snauvalds 1:2, Västergarn socken, Gotlands kommun, GotlandRAÄ nr: L1976:7960 (tidigare RAÄ-nr Västergarn 50:1)