Oldtidsagre - Genstandskundskab

160 Nr. 1
upon more fertile and heavy clayey soils. Unfortunately, we have no remnants
of “Oldtidsagre" upon moraine-clay. Two localities in Sealand, No. 117, Topshøj
forest, and No. 118, Geel's hill, are placed upon morainic gravel. The last
named locality contains some stone-heaps and some balks, which, however, are so
slight that a mapping is difficult. In Topshøj forest, the traces of cultivation are more
conspicuous, and a survey of them was undertaken. cf. p. 119 and Fig. 90. Stoneheaps
and lynchets are found, somewhat similar to those in No. 95, Addit forest
(cf. SEHESTED 188-1, pp. 117 seq.). However, the fields are more distinct in Addit
forest, because there the fields are in most cases completely Surrounded by lynchets.
In Topshøj forest, on the other hand, none of the fields are wholly Surrounded by
lynchets; still, their shape may to some extent be discerned. In Topshøj as in Addit,
the fields are broad, and their outlines are rather irregular.
The reason why the Topshøj-fields are imperfectly outlined may be due to the
fact that no drifting of dust or sand has taken place, as in the sandy regions of Jutland.
One of the natural factors, furthering the development of high balks, is absent
in Topshøj.
Unfortunately, we do not know the age of the Topshøj locality, as no datable
objects were found.
The possibility that ridged strip-fields dominated in the more fertile parts of
Denmark, already during Early Iron Age, has been discussed above (p. 156).
The locality No. 119, Blemme Lyng, Bornholm, has not been visited by me;
PETER THoRsEN has described it, however. The fields are more or less rectangular
and broad, the areas varying between 190 >< 50 m and 70 >< 40 m. THoRsEN has dated
them to Late Bronze Age, some of the fields having been used for burial-places in
the transition-period between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The Bornholm fields
differ somewhat from the ancient fields in Jutland; the balks are low walls, not made
of earth, but consisting of stones collected from the fields. This reminds of Iron Age
enclosures in Oland and Gotland.
VII. Ancient fields outside Denmark.
Scandinavia. Associated with numerous remnants of Iron Age houses in the
Swedish islands of Oland and Gotland, enclosures are found, Surrounded by low
stone-walls. Some of these enclosures are interpreted as cattle-pens and sheep-folds,
others as enclosed pastures. Some of the enclosures may have been cultivated, although
agriculture was less important than cattle-raising. The cultivated plots were
apparently often placed at some distance from the farm-buildings (STENBERGER
1933, p. l06). In Gotland, however, cultivated fields were also found quite close to
the farm-houses (NIHLÉN och Boiârmus 1933, p. 215).
In Östergötland, on the Swedish mainland. the so-called “stensträngar" are found.