Colleen Batey

A Pictish burial and Late Norse/Medieval settlement at Sangobeg, Durness, Sutherland

Salvage excavation was carried out on an archaeological site, discovered during the North Sutherland Coastal Zone Assessment Survey in 1998, in dunes at Sangobeg, near Durness in northern Sutherland. The excavation, conducted in 2000, uncovered the fragmentary remains of probable Norse-period settlement, including stone walling, a hearth and occupation deposits that had been truncated by erosion. Sealed beneath the Norse-period remains was the burial of a child of indeterminate sex, aged between 8–10 years, who had been placed in a flexed position on a bed of quartzite pebbles and covered with a mound of clean sand, capped with larger quartzite stones. The burial was dated by radiocarbon to 170 cal BC–cal AD 30 (GU-12535).

Maritime Societies of the Viking and Medieval World

Maritime Societies of the Viking and Medieval World. Edited by J. H. Barrett and S. J. Gibbon. Maney Publishing, Society for Medieval Archaeology, Monograph 37 (Series Eds. C. Gerrard and G. Thomas), Leeds. 2015. ISBN 978-1-909662-79-7 (softcover U.S.

Assembling places and persons: A tenth-century Viking boat burial from Swordle Bay on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, western Scotland

44.95), 396pp.

A Post-Roman Sequence at Carlisle Cathedral

Abstract A rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland contained a rich assemblage of grave goods, providing clues to the identity and origins of both the interred individual and the people who gathered to create the site. The burial evokes the mundane and the exotic, past and present, as well as local, national and international identities. Isotopic analysis of the teeth hints at a possible Scandinavian origin for the deceased, while Scottish, Irish and Scandinavian connections are attested by the grave goods. Weapons indicate a warrior of high status; other objects imply connections to daily life, cooking and work, farming and food production. The burial site is itself rich in symbolic associations, being close to a Neolithic burial cairn, the stones of which may have been incorporated into the grave.

Into the Ocean. Vikings, Irish, and Environmental Change in Iceland and the North

Excavations in 1988 revealed a stratigraphic sequence extending from the later Roman period to the twelfth century. Of particular interest and importance is a collection of Viking-Age metalwork which, with other material, sheds light on settlement in Carlisle before the arrival of the Normans in 1092.

Quarrying in Western Norway. An Archaeological Study of Production and Distribution in the Viking Period and Middle Ages

This volume is divided into seven main chapters which introduce aspects of ongoing interdisciplinary debates concerning the potential for early Irish settlers in Iceland, including placename studies (specifically the element Pap-), scientific dating methods (tephra analysis) and art historical approaches to the discussion of carved stone crosses. These are set against an overview of antiquarian and earlier written considerations of the spread of the Irish and early Christianity around the North Atlantic. In short, the scope of the volume is huge, the questions raised of considerable importance, but the evidence controversial. There is a long history of scholarship seeking to prove that the Vikings were not the first occupants of Iceland and that instead of the early eremitic monks, the Papa of the ON sagas, likely from Ireland or western Scotland, sought refuge on its virgin lands. The caves of Seljaland in SW Iceland have been the focus of new fieldwork in the early 2000s by the author: this revealed that the caves had been artificially enhanced and many had several simple incised crosses on the walls. The heart of the question lies in assessing just precisely, when such activities took place and by whom. Using the technique of tephra mapping, the excavators sought to identify the impact of early settlers and their animals on the landscape. The clearance of shrubs or small trees is suggested by gaps in the surface of the tephras dated to ad 870 and ad 920, where standing vegetation may have prevented its deposition. While an interesting approach, this would need to be examined on a rather larger scale than the very limited trenches reported here. Landscape clearance may well have been a result of a demonstrable change in landscape use c 920, presumably at the hands of the Norse settlers. Earlier farming activity, if it could be proven to match that published from the Faroe Islands (Church, M et al 2013, ‘The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands’, Quaternary Science Reviews 77, 228–32), would no doubt add weight to the crucial discussion of the early place names (Pap-) and the incised crosses. Ahronson accepts that there have been multiple cross-carving events in the caves over an extended period, even into the twentieth century, but proposes an early Christian date as the best fit for his examples. However, the evidence for a stratigraphical sequence in the carvings is not conclusive and stylistic similarities with examples from the British Isles are not sufficient; indeed, work by Ian Fisher, notably discussed recently in relation to work at St Ninian’s Isle, Shetland, sees simple cross forms starting in the 7th to 8th centuries, but crucially continuing into the 9th century and beyond (‘The Carved Stones’, in R Barrowman, 2011, The Chapel and Burial Ground on St Ninian’s Isle, Shetland, Soc Med Arch Mon 32 (London, 2011), 121–4). The modifications to the caves could of course have been made by the incoming Norse settlers, as a quicker solution to a source of shelter, rather like the expedient creation of pit-houses in the Lake Myvatn area. The inclusion of a Celtic component in the Viking period settlers is now realistically supported by scientific study, so could these settlers have brought with them the familiarity of the simple crosses? It seems that there is still much to discover to resolve the issue of the impact of any eremitic monks on the shores of Iceland.

The Beginning of Scandinavian Settlement in England: The Viking ‘Great Army’ and Early Settlers, c. 865–900, by Shane McLeod

This volume by the prehistorian Professor John Waddell explores ‘instances where prehistoric archaeology and ancient myth appear to converge’. The study has been considerably influenced by the setting of medieval Irish tales at major prehistoric sites, including Tara, Navan and Rathrcoghan. The mythological themes are largely derived from the four cycles of Irish tales, though other Irish literature is referred to, with only very occasional references to medieval Welsh tales such as the Mabinogion. The use of the term ‘Celtic’ in the title of the book is problematic: while acknowledging the problems associated with the term, the author justifies its use because of the existence of a common Celtic language, though Sims-Williams called its use in relation to literature as ‘anachronistic’. An example of this is the concept of the otherworld, a supernatural place occupied by peoples with magical properties; relations between this world and the ‘otherworld’ are examined in some detail by Waddell, but the crucial differences between the ‘otherworld’ as portrayed in Irish and Welsh literature are not fully recognised. A strong case is made for the existence of solar imagery and its representation as a vessel carrying the sun across the heavens as portrayed on prehistoric metalwork. The links are relatively tenuous, and the author has to work hard to identify them. This is a brave book to write, given the difficulties faced, but Waddell has achieved a very readable volume full of themes and ideas, which provides a very useful review of the evidence.

Excavations and Survey on Brei Holm and Maiden Stack, Papa Stour, Shetland

istration and law, particularly for assembly and execution. Many of the chapters make important contributions in their own right. Funerary reuse of prehistoric remains is often set within wider models for the development of kingdoms in the sixth and seventh centuries (e.g. M. Welch, The Mid Saxon ‘Final Phase’, in H. Hamerow, D. Hinton and S. Crawford (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology, 2011, pp. 266–87). But there has been a tendency to analyze at a national level. Semple’s three-way comparison alternatively presents some persuasive arguments for a link between regional differences in socio-political development and distinctive patterns in funerary reuse of prehistoric remains. Within the discussion of East Yorkshire, Semple redates several single burials in prehistoric remains, integrating the East Yorkshire evidence within national trends. Similarly, the application of names connected with mythical heroes or beasts to prehistoric remains is well attested, but there has been no comprehensive corpus or analysis. Semple’s corpora of names including the elements Grendel, Grim, Thunor, Tiw, draca, scucca, skratti, puca, pucel, thyrs, wicce, biccan, heathenan, ælf, and mære, identifies some fascinating regional variations, perhaps reflecting regional cultures (pp. 157–88). Appendices provide valuable lists of weaponry discovered in possible non-funerary contexts at prehistoric monuments, as well as medieval churches situated with reference to prehistoric monuments, and monuments and the supernatural in charter bounds. Throughout, the text is accompanied by well-chosen and well-designed illustrations, plans, and maps. Semple shows an impressive interdisciplinary confidence, dealing carefully with complex textual, material, and onomastic evidence, but always drawing clear conclusions reflecting the uncertainties of interdisciplinary analysis. A real strength is that, at every stage, Semple resists simple generalizations. A wider numinous natural world was the context within which some prehistoric remains acquired particular ancestral, spiritual, or magical significance. A concern to reuse a range of ‘natural’ features or earlier remains was the context within which there was sometimes reuse of prehistoric remains by the Church. Names connected with mythical heroes or beasts were applied to a range of features, some of which were prehistoric remains. Ultimately, given the difficulty of showing that the Anglo-Saxons identified prehistoric remains as a category, this may be showing us that there was nothing special in general terms about their reuse as a category. In this way, as well as providing us with an excellent monograph, Semple challenges us always to build out from local and regional cultures and to revisit Anglo-Saxon use and reuse of all natural features and earlier remains.

‘A Shetland Voyage of Discovery Starts Here….’: Reflections on the New Shetland Museum and Archive

This report describes the background to, and results of, a short season of fieldwork conducted on Brei Holm, Papa Stour in the summer of 2000 (Brady 2000). Kevin Brady led a small team from the University of Glasgow who conducted a topographic survey of the surface area and archaeological features on this small islet and neighbouring sea stack off the W of Shetland. In addition, three of the features recorded in that survey were examined in trial trenches. The complex structural remains recorded are presented here, as are the stratigraphic details examined within the trial trench areas. The rich artefactual assemblage recovered from the limited excavations included over 220 ceramic sherds, worked stone, pumice and a possible small quantity of industrial waste. The limited nature of this exploratory season has raised as many questions about this enigmatic site as it sought to answer. However, it has also shown that this little-studied and poorly-understood class of monument can be tackled by the intrepid a...

Vikings in Wales: An Archaeological Quest. By Mark Redknap

As a publicity slogan, this ranks amongst the best: short, to the point and accurate! On 31 May 2007 the flagship development of Shetlands Museum and Archive received its royal opening. Appropriately enough, Her Majesty the Queen of Norway takes primacy over Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, not only following protocol in such matters, but reflecting Shetlands close links with their Scandinavian neighbours. Located on the last remaining area of original 19th century dock in Lerwick, the capital of Shetland, this energetic new building with sail-shaped extension, sits comfortably adjacent to the red painted and timber buildings which are more reminiscent of Faroese architecture than those found elsewhere in the British Isles. Incorporating also old boat sheds which will enable visitors to see the boatmen as they restore the traditional boats, many of which reflect original Norse forms, this development is both high quality and award-winning for its sustainable architecture. The cul...