Viking Age in Scotland

Tom Horne is an affiliated researcher at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of A Viking Market Kingdom in Ireland and Britain: Trade Networks and the Importation of a Southern Scandinavian Silver Bullion Economy (Routledge, 2022). He has also written about silver economies in Scandinavian Scotland. University of Glasgow Rachel Barrowman is a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow who has worked on early medieval/late Iron Age and Norse period research projects in Scotland, including editing The Birsay Bay Project Volume 3 (Oxbow Books, 2021) and her publication of St Ninian’s Isle, Shetland (Society for Medieval Archaeology 2011). Her research focus is now on the Isle of Lewis, where she has published work on the late medieval clan stronghold of Dùn Èistean (Acair Ltd 2015) and the chapel-sites of Lewis (Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports 2020).

Every section has contrasting articles that provide something of the ‘bigger picture’, with more detailed analysis from key sites, landscapes and datasets. This makes it an ideal publication for those new to the subject, such as students who may require orientation on the diversity and complexity of archaeological evidence and its use alongside other sources.

• List of Tables List of FiguresList of Abbreviations Acknowledgements The Contributors PrefaceA Dedication to Colleen BateyForeword by Judith JeschBefore Vikings in Scotland – A Brief History of Viking-age Archaeology in ScotlandOlwyn OwenPart I. Arrival of the Vikings and Native-Norse Interactions1. Landnám and Landscape in Viking OrkneyDavid Griffiths 2. What Does Landnám Look Like? Excavations at Swandro and Old ScatnessStephen J. Dockrill and Julie M. Bond3. The Tarbat Peninsula in Northern Pictland: Portmahomack as a Case Study in Native-Norse Interaction during the 9th to 11th Centuries Cecily Spall4. Echoes of Native-Norse Relationships in the Archaeology at St Ninian’s Isle, ShetlandRachel BarrowmanPart II. Scandinavian Settlement5. The Use of Space in Norse Houses: Some Observations from the HebridesNiall Sharples6. Hamar and Underhoull, Unst: Settlement in Northernmost ScotlandJulie M. Bond and Stephen J. Dockrill7. Investigating the Origins of Steatite Vessels across the Viking DiasporaAmanda K. Forster and Richard E. Jones8. Machair Bharabhais, Leòdhas: a Scandinavian Settlement in its ContextMary Macleod Rivett and Trevor CowiePart III. Place-names: Interactions with the Landscape9. Norse Settlement in the Southern Hebrides: the Place-name Evidence from IslayAlan Macniven10. Understanding the Norse Period through Place-names Evidence: a Case Study from the Island of MullAlasdair C. Whyte11. The Church and Gaelic-Norse Contact in the HebridesThomas Owen ClancyPart IV. Environmental Impact and Land Use12. Isotope Zooarchaeology in Viking Scotland: Previous Research, Possibilities and Future DirectionsJennifer R. Jones13. Feasts, Food and Fodder: Viking and Late Norse Farming Systems in ScotlandIngrid Mainland14. Norse Shielings in Scotland: An Example of Cultural ContactRyan FosterPart V. Power and the Political Landscape15. Thing-sites and the Political Landscape in the NorthAlexandra Sanmark16. The Brough of Birsay, OrkneyChristopher D. Morris17. The Earl’s Bu, Orphir, OrkneyColleen E. Batey18. Revisiting Tuquoy - Still Full of Surprises…Olwyn Owen19. The Lewis Hoard of Gaming Pieces – Evoking and Reassembling a Viking Past? Mark A. Hall and David H. CaldwellPart VI. Economy and Exchange20. The Viking-Age Silver and Gold of ScotlandJames Graham-Campbell21. The Galloway HoardMartin Goldberg22. Viking and Norse Bullion Economies in Scandinavian ScotlandTom Horne23. Small Finds, Big Questions: Two Decades of Research on Combs in Viking-Age ScotlandSteven P. AshbyPart VII. Death and Burial24. The 'Pagan Norse Graves of Scotland’ Research ProjectJames Graham-Campbell, Caroline Paterson and Stephen Harrison25. Swordle Bay, Ardnamurchan: A Viking Boat BurialColleen E. Batey26. Carrick, Mid Ross: A Viking Cemetery on Loch LomondColleen E. BateyAfterword: Major Advances and Future DirectionsColleen E. Batey and James Graham-CampbellIndex