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Viking Unst Excavations

By making use of cutting edge archaeological techniques, particularly in the fields of dating and environmental studies, and by using the evidence of associated disciplines such as place names analysis, we hope to build up a detailed picture of Viking life in Unst. We are exploring a number of questions including:

• The earliest Viking settlement in Unst and how it affected the native population

• The development and expansion of Viking settlement over time

• The Viking legacy, including the long-term impact on place names, land management and way of life of the later community, some of which continue into present usage

Survey work in Unst began in 1994 and recorded possible Viking and Norse longhouses and Chapels in Unst. Landscape surveys were also carried out. These have provided a solid foundation for the Viking Unst Project.

(Longhouses - SS Hansen, University of Copenhagen, Chapels - CD Morris, University of Glasgow, Landscape - VE Turner et al, Shetland Amenity Trust).

Three longhouse sites are currently under investigation:

• Excavations at Hamar and Underhoull are being carried out by the University of Bradford North Atlantic Research Unit, under the leadership of Dr Julie Bond.

• The site of Belmont is being investigated by a team from The University of Copenhagen, directed by Anne-Christine Larsen of the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.

Further excavations will be taking place at Hamar, Underhoull and Belmont in June and July 2008

Visitors to our sites are always welcome when excavations are taking place. The teams work Sundays to Thursdays throughout the season. See our current events listing for more details. This is regularly updated so do keep checking.