Early Historic

Shetland’s early historic period is dominated by evidence and research relating to the archipelago’s rich Viking and Norse heritage. Viking and Norse remains are present at key multiperiod sites in Mainland, namely Jarlshof and Old Scatness, with evidence from these longstanding excavations contributing pivotally to our understanding of cultural transition, site re-use and appropriation into the Norse period (Dockrill et al 2010, Dockrill and Bond 2023). In terms of geographic focus, in addition to work across Mainland, the island of Unst has also been a particular focus for early historic period research. Most notably this has been via the Viking Unst Project, a collaboration between the University of Bradford’s North Atlantic Research Unit and the Shetland Amenity Trust, which oversaw the excavation of two Viking longhouses at Hamar (Bond et al 2013) and Underhoull (Small 1996, Turner et al 2013).

Other Norse sites excavated in Unst include the settlements at Norwick (Ballin-Smith 2007), Sandwick (Bigelow 1985), and Belmont (Larsen et al 2013). Significantly, Unst has the highest concentration of Norse settlement sites in Scotland, with some arguing that the island was key to the expansion of Scandinavian populations westward into Britain (Ritchie 1996, Graham-Campbell and Batey 1998, Dyer et al 2013).

Beyond Unst, the remains of a further 12, currently unexcavated, longhouses are known across Shetland. It is interesting that longhouses represent approximately a quarter of the HER data confidently ascribed to the early historic period. Furthermore, the majority of find spots in Shetland’s early historic period HER are made up of distinctive Norse and Viking artefacts. There are also an impressive number of Viking burials, including boat burials, and at least four known Ting sites across Shetland, such as Lawtingholm. Shetland’s Norse economy was clearly heavily influenced by its position within a North Atlantic trade network (Marttila 2016). Steatite (soapstone), for example, was a key export, and studies continue into its role in local industry and international trade (Forster and Jones 2023). Farming and animal husbandry changed during this period (Ingrid 2023), but the extent to which Norse settlers in Shetland introduced new agricultural methods remains unclear.

The importance of Shetland’s Viking and Norse remains for our understanding of wider Scandinavian influences across Scotland is beyond doubt and the archipelago’s archaeological resources for this period are clearly of great significance. By comparison, our understanding of the earliest part of this period in Shetland is less extensive. There are still some large gaps in our understanding of Shetland’s latest Iron Age and immediately post-Iron Age period from the beginning of the 5th century AD until the arrival of Scandinavian people and culture in the 9th to 10th century. Traditionally this period is described as ‘Pictish’, yet it remains unclear whether communities in Shetland identified with broader Pictish identities or whether they had more localised Shetlandic affiliations. Distinctive ‘Pictish’ artefacts from across Shetland include an increasing number of Christian and pre-Christian carved stones, including several with ogham inscriptions, as well as the remarkable assemblage of Pictish style silverware from St Ninian’s Isle (Turner 1994).

The recent work at St Ninian Isle is noteworthy, providing new approaches for addressing questions on cultural identity during the early historic period (Barrowman 2023). More broadly, however, identifying contemporary ‘Pictish’ settlements has been more challenging. In terms of domestic settlement architecture, this period in Shetland, as elsewhere, is associated with modest, cellular structures that contrast starkly with the monumental Iron Age sites that they appear to reuse and replace (Allison 2023). Due to their similarities with structures from the Outer Hebrides during this period, these settlements have been described as ‘Pictish’. However, the full extent to which communities living in these buildings identified with broader Pictish identities, requires further exploration. Both Scatness and Jarlshof, although more widely known for their Iron Age and later Norse phases, also contain remains from this ‘Pictish’ period, with evidence suggesting continuity thereafter into the Viking era. Likewise, excavation of various sites across Unst have revealed early, potentially ‘Pictish’ structures, though much of the research focus has to-date been on Norse occupation.

The limited number of excavations focusing on the earliest part of the post-Iron Age period establishes key research gaps​. Unlike in Orkney and the Outer Hebrides, there is little evidence on the transition from ‘Pictish’ to Norse settlement and the nature of early Viking settlement in Shetland is still only beginning to emerge. Scatness is again a key site, bringing crucial data to discussions on settlement continuity and adaptation from the Iron Age into the Viking period and beyond (Dockrill et al 2010, Dockrill and Bond 2023). The degree to which Shetland’s native populations were replaced or assimilated by incoming Norse settlers is still unknown. DNA studies, stable isotope analysis, and further archaeological work has the potential to bring further data to these discussions.

The extent of early Christianity in Shetland before Norse influence is also poorly understood. Further research is needed to determine the origin of early Christian influences, how widespread they were, and whether a second conversion occurred when the Norse adopted the Roman Church. For example, burial practices during the Norse period are poorly understood, with little evidence of pre-Christian graves. Place-name studies suggest that while most of Shetland’s place names are Norse, some pre-Norse names persist, raising further questions about cultural continuity (Gammeltoft et al 2005). Future research would benefit from further integrating archaeological, linguistic, and genetic data to refine understanding of post-Iron Age, Viking and Norse settlement, cultural shifts, and Shetland’s role within the wider northern European context.

You can download the datasheet for more information on the early historic sites and c14 dates from Shetland.

Early Historic Research Questions