Oldtidsagre - Genstandskundskab

156 Nr.1
here at some time in the first century A. D., when the youngest houses were given
up. In the locality Lunde 2 (No. 101, p. 17), cultivation was also probably continued
in Roman Iron Age, as a couple of clay vessels from that period were found in one
of the balks. In Svendstrup Hovgaards heath (No. 51, pp. 65-69), the “Oldtidsager"system
must have continued into Late Roman Iron Age, as rotation-querns were
found in some of the stone-heaps in the balks.
It has not been possible to date any typical “Oldtidsager"-group in Demnark
to a later period than Late Roman Iron Age. It must be admitted, however, that
dating-material is known only from a minority of the localities. \Ve do not know
with any certainly when the “Oldtidsager"-field-system was finally discarded in
Denmark.
\Ve may assume a near relation between the "Oldtidsagre“ and the primitive
ancient plough, the arð. It is probable that the arð and the ancient field-system were
still used for light sandy soil at a period when they had been discarded upon heavy
clayey soil. The ancient field-system must have had undesirable effects on flat land
with heavy soil; the basin-shaped fields would, in such regions, be exposed to imperfect
drainage, especially when the moist subatlantic period had set in in the Early
Iron Age. \Ve must assume that the ancient field-system agreed better with the comparatively
dry subboreal climate of the Bronze Age. Therefore, it is an obvious
possibility that the heavy plough with mould-board and the strip-fields, ridged in the
middle (“Hochäcker”) may have prevailed in the more fertile parts of Denmark at
a time when the arð and the basin-shaped fields were still retained in the less fertile
sandy regions of our country.
This line of reasoning is supported by the fact that the oldest find of a mouldboard
plough in Denmark, the Tømmerby-plough, is dated pollenanalytically to the
Early Pre-Roman Iron Age (STEENSBERG 1937, pp. 252 seqq.). It must be admitted,
however, that we have not succeeded in dating any “Hochäcker" in Denmark to prehistoric
time. Many of the deserted fields of the “Hochäcker"-type in Danish heaths
and woods may safely be placed within historical times. In earlier publications
(HATT 1930 a, pp. 353 seq., 1931, pp. 119-12O), I have set forth the supposition that
the old deserted fields, mentioned by Saxo in the story about king Snjo and the
emigration of the “Longobards", might be of the “Hochäcker"-type. It is, however.
hardly admissible to regard this passage in Saxo's work as a proof of the existence
of such fields; Saxo may also have thought of the remnants of prehistoric cultivations
of the “Oldtidsager"-type, still visible in Topshøj forest, a locality which Saxo knew
personally (cf. No. 117, pp. 117 seq.).
As the mould-board plough must have existed in Denmark in Early Pre-Roman
Iron Age-according to the pollenanalytical dating of the Tømmerby-plough-and as
we have not been able to date any of our deserted fields of the “Hochäcker"-type
to prehistoric times, I have attempted to associate the mould-board plough with a
special type of “Oldtidsagre", the long and narrow form, which is known e. g. from
Byrsted heath (HATT 1937, p. 10l). This is, however, hardly admissible. It is more