turf longhouses

By Franklin Hagan

Turf longhouses

A turf longhouse is a sod covered longhouse built by the Nordic people in the 12th century, in Iceland. A longhouse is a home or gathering place for Nordic people to congregate.

What is a turf longhouse?

These particular longhouses were made of sod do to the lack of lumber in Iceland. Dirt is an excellent insulator, so these home were surprisingly warm even in the colder Iceland climate.

Why?

WarmerEasier to makeMore easily repairedTurf is more readily available

Pros

More flammableLess water resistantLess structural integritySusceptible to attack

Cons

The turf longhouses main room is divided in to three long isles by columns that support the roof. They also had a stone base that lined the walls. Several smaller rooms jutted of the side of the longhouse. A gap at the top of each end of the longhouse allowed smoke from fires that were built on the dirt floors. Benches lined the walls. These longhouses could be up to 75 feet long.

Layout

This house would be great for Caldwell county. Many homes in modern day society are based off of this design. One of the only things that we could do to improve this house would be to add gas heating and architectural roof support.

Now

Examples

Short, William R. "Hurstwic: Longhouses in the Norse era." Hurstwic, a Viking Age Living History Society. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. <http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/longhouse.htm>.

Bellerby, Rachel. "The Viking Longhouse: How People Lived in the Viking Age." Early Middle Ages. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. <http://early-middle-ages.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_viking_longhouse>.

"BBC - Learning Zone Scotland - Viking longhouses." BBC - Homepage. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/learningzone/clips/464/>.

Ormston, Thomas. "File:Stöng Viking Longhouse.jpg -." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St%C3%B6ng_Viking_Longhouse.jpg>.

Minas Tirith. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. <http://www.minastirith.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic%3Bf=3%3Bt=000270>.

"Portal:Iceland/Intro/3 -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Iceland/Intro/3>.

"Unst's Archaeology | Saxa Vord Resort, Unst, Shetland." Saxa Vord Resort - Welcome | Saxa Vord Resort, Unst, Shetland. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://www.saxavord.com/unst-archaeology.php>.

"Vikings." Front Page. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/Vikings.htm>.

"Hurstwic: Turf Houses in the Norse era." Hurstwic, a Viking Age Living History Society. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/Turf_Houses.htm>.

"Hurstwic: Longhouses in the Norse era." Hurstwic, a Viking Age Living History Society. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/longhouse.htm>.

"Viking Stock Photography Images From SuperStock." SuperStock - The Best in Stock Photography, Vintage Photos and Fine Art Images. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://www.superstock.com/stock-photography/Viking>.

Bibliography