En presentasjon av fire utvalgte hus fra Forsandmoen 2007. En presentasjon av fire utvalgte hus fra Forsandmoen 2007

Abstract

In 2007, a new excavation was carried out in the prehistoric village at Forsandmoen in Rogaland. 22 longhouses were found in an area that is going to be developed for industry. Eight of the buildings were not known prior to the excavation. They comprised four mainbuildings, two workshops and two smaller buildings (Houses 247–254). 86 cooking pits and the remains of a big clearance cairn were also found. The excavation area covered the southeastern part of the continuous village settlement at Forsandmoen. It showed that the settlement stretches a bit further east and was denser than earlier investigations had concluded. Based on earlier excavations, it was expected that the buildings in the area could be dated back to the Early Iron Age, mainly to between AD 200 and 600. This assumption was supported during the excavation by characteristic construction features in the buildings and finds within the structures, and was subsequently confirmed by radiological dating. The houses thus represent the last periods of the settlement at Forsandmoen, which was suddenly abandoned after more than 2000 years. A selection of some of the most interesting houses is presented in this article, including a 43-metre long building.