The Viking Age in Scotland
Studies in Scottish Scandinavian Archaeology
Edited by Tom Horne, Elizabeth Pierce, Rachel Barrowman
- 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 List of FiguresList of Abbreviations Acknowledgements The Contributors PrefaceA Dedication to Colleen BateyForeword by Judith Jesch
Before Vikings in Scotland – A Brief History of Viking-age Archaeology in ScotlandOlwyn Owen
Part I. Arrival of the Vikings and Native-Norse Interactions
1. Landnám and Landscape in Viking OrkneyDavid Griffiths
2. What Does Landnám Look Like? Excavations at Swandro and Old ScatnessStephen J. Dockrill and Julie M. Bond
3. The Tarbat Peninsula in Northern Pictland: Portmahomack as a Case Study in Native-Norse Interaction during the 9th to 11th Centuries Cecily Spall
4. Echoes of Native-Norse Relationships in the Archaeology at St Ninian’s Isle, ShetlandRachel Barrowman
Part II. Scandinavian Settlement
5. The Use of Space in Norse Houses: Some Observations from the HebridesNiall Sharples
6. Hamar and Underhoull, Unst: Settlement in Northernmost ScotlandJulie M. Bond and Stephen J. Dockrill
7. Investigating the Origins of Steatite Vessels across the Viking DiasporaAmanda K. Forster and Richard E. Jones
8. Machair Bharabhais, Leòdhas: a Scandinavian Settlement in its ContextMary Macleod Rivett and Trevor Cowie
Part III. Place-names: Interactions with the Landscape
9. Norse Settlement in the Southern Hebrides: the Place-name Evidence from IslayAlan Macniven
10. Understanding the Norse Period through Place-names Evidence: a Case Study from the Island of MullAlasdair C. Whyte
11. The Church and Gaelic-Norse Contact in the HebridesThomas Owen Clancy
Part IV. Environmental Impact and Land Use
12. Isotope Zooarchaeology in Viking Scotland: Previous Research, Possibilities and Future DirectionsJennifer R. Jones
13. Feasts, Food and Fodder: Viking and Late Norse Farming Systems in ScotlandIngrid Mainland
14. Norse Shielings in Scotland: An Example of Cultural ContactRyan Foster
Part V. Power and the Political Landscape
15. Thing-sites and the Political Landscape in the NorthAlexandra Sanmark
16. The Brough of Birsay, OrkneyChristopher D. Morris
17. The Earl’s Bu, Orphir, OrkneyColleen E. Batey
18. Revisiting Tuquoy - Still Full of Surprises…Olwyn Owen
19. The Lewis Hoard of Gaming Pieces – Evoking and Reassembling a Viking Past? Mark A. Hall and David H. Caldwell
Part VI. Economy and Exchange
20. The Viking-Age Silver and Gold of ScotlandJames Graham-Campbell
21. The Galloway HoardMartin Goldberg
22. Viking and Norse Bullion Economies in Scandinavian ScotlandTom Horne
23. Small Finds, Big Questions: Two Decades of Research on Combs in Viking-Age ScotlandSteven P. Ashby
Part VII. Death and Burial
24. The 'Pagan Norse Graves of Scotland’ Research ProjectJames Graham-Campbell, Caroline Paterson and Stephen Harrison
25. Swordle Bay, Ardnamurchan: A Viking Boat BurialColleen E. Batey
26. Carrick, Mid Ross: A Viking Cemetery on Loch LomondColleen E. Batey
Afterword: Major Advances and Future DirectionsColleen E. Batey and James Graham-Campbell
Index
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.
This is a splendid collection of recent and ongoing research [...] a ‘must-have’ book for those who are absorbed by Scandinavian Scotland.
This volume is an essential guide for anyone seeking an overview of recent work in Viking Age Scotland since the publication of Colleen Batey's and James Graham-Campbell's ground breaking tome 'Vikings in Scotland: An Archaeological Survey'. The range of papers handily organised by topic, is testament to exciting leaps forward in research and discovery across multiple disciplines.
This handsomely produced book acts as a 20-year celebration of the earlier Vikings in Scotland: an archaeological study by James Graham-Campbell and Colleen Batey, and as a continuation of that still indispensable work. The book includes 28 papers over its 340 pages […] allowing for wide coverage over the thematic sections of Native-Norse interactions, Scandinavian settlement, place names, environmental impact and land use, power and the political landscape, economy, and death and burial.
This wide-ranging work provides fresh insights from recent fieldwork and scientific analysis
