<<The>> Viking Age in Scotland studies in Scottish Scandinavian archaeology

## Provides an overview of recent discoveries from Viking Age and Norse Scotland * Twenty years after the last major holistic contribution by EUP, this book will be central to shaping studies of Viking and Norse Scotland, becoming an essential purchase for students, educators, and the general reader alike * Brings together results from excavations and other research from the past 20 years to give readers an overarching view of Viking Scotland from a variety of geographical locations and contexts * Thematic approach aids the book’s flow, allowing readers to understand individual sites and related data * Provides a ‘way in’ for new researchers to current and recently-published findings written by the foremost experts in the field * Offers journalists and media up-to-date and peer-reviewed background studies on finds like the Galloway Hoard, aiding outreach and public understanding of research __The Viking Age in Scotland__ reviews two decades of research that have taken place since the last archaeological survey of the Vikings in Scotland, published in 1998. Advances in scientific analysis have greatly improved our understanding of Scandinavian daily life between the late eighth and fifteenth centuries, and new discoveries like the Galloway Hoard are extending our knowledge of Viking Age and Norse Scotland’s international connections. Consequently, this book brings the study of Scottish Scandinavian archaeology into the new century, updating researchers on the latest finds and theories. In an engaging but scholarly volume that flows between chapters, expert authors guide the reader through the latest interdisciplinary research, from arrival and settlement to death and burial, via economy and exchange, power and politics, and environmental impact. Fully illustrated with photographs and maps, this is essential reading for anyone interested in Viking Scotland, and a key resource for teachers and students. List of Tables 9 List of Figures 10 List of Abbreviations 13 Acknowledgements 14 The Contributors 15 Preface 17 A Dedication to Colleen Batey 19 Foreword by Judith Jesch 20 Before Vikings in Scotland: A Brief History of Viking-Age Archaeology in Scotland 22 Part I. The Arrival of the Vikings and Native–Norse Interactions 32 1. Landn.m and Landscape in Viking Orkney 34 2. What Does Landn.m Look Like? Excavations at Swandro and Old Scatness 50 3. The Tarbat Peninsula in Northern Pictland: Portmahomack as a Case Study in Native–Norse Interaction during the 9th to 11th Centuries 64 4. Echoes of Native–Norse Relationships in the Archaeology at St Ninian’s Isle, Shetland 78 Part II. Scandinavian Settlement 94 5. The Use of Space in Norse Houses: Some Observations from the Hebrides 96 6. Hamar and Underhoull, Unst: Settlement in Northernmost Scotland 106 7. Investigating the Origins of Steatite Vessels across the Viking Diaspora 119 8. Machair Bharabhais, Le.dhas: A Scandinavian Settlement in its Context 133 Part III. Place-names: Interactions with the Landscape 142 9. Norse Settlement in the Southern Hebrides: The Place-name Evidence from Islay 144 10. Understanding the Norse Period through Place-name Evidence: A Case Study from the Island of Mull 156 11. The Church and Gaelic–Norse Contact in the Hebrides 164 Part IV. Environmental Impact and Land Use 174 12. Isotope Zooarchaeology in Viking Scotland: Previous Research, Possibilities and Future Directions 176 13. Feasts, Food and Fodder: Viking and Late Norse Farming Systems in Scotland 191 14. Norse Shielings in Scotland: An Example of Cultural Contact 210 Part V. Power and the Political Landscape 216 15. Thing-sites and the Political Landscape in the North 218 16. The Brough of Birsay, Orkney 234 17. The Earl’s Bu, Orphir, Orkney 244 18. Revisiting Tuquoy – Still Full of Surprises . . . 250 19. The Lewis Hoard of Gaming Pieces – Evoking and Reassembling a Viking Past? 260 Part VI. Economy and Exchange 270 20. The Viking-Age Silver and Gold of Scotland 272 21. The Galloway Hoard 283 22. Viking and Norse Bullion Economies in Scandinavian Scotland 297 23. Small Finds, Big Questions: Two Decades of Research on Combs in Viking-Age Scotland 310 Part VII. Death and Burial 318 24. The ‘Pagan Norse Graves of Scotland’ Research Project 320 25. Swordle Bay, Ardnamurchan: A Viking Boat Burial 329 26. Carrick, Mid Ross: A Viking Cemetery on Loch Lomond 334 Afterword: Major Advances and Future Directions 343 Index 349