History / Some ‘exciting stuff’ found in Time Team excavation
A RECENT excavation at a site of a possible Viking boat burial in Shetland uncovered some “exciting stuff”, according to a Time Team archaeologist involved in the dig.
Jackie McKinley said she was “really quite chuffed with some of the finds”.
However people will have to wait until Time Team uploads footage from the excavation to YouTube in the coming months to get the full details.
News emerged last month of Time Team’s plans to lead a dig at the site in Shetland, following surveys over the last couple of years.
There is a desire from those involved to keep the exact location of the site under wraps for now.
Excavations took place recently at the site to explore the possible Viking boat burial, with Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) also involved.
McKinley, a principal osteoarchaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, said there was “quite a substantial mound”.
“The mound was boat shaped, and it was actually pointing down towards the sea,” she said on Time Team’s latest podcast.
McKinley also said there was an upright stone more or less in the centre “that almost looked like a sail”.
She added that a lot of the boat burials were “not necessarily a boat per se – a lot of the time they could be boat shaped kerbs or boat shaped surrounds, so they’re mimicking the appearance of a boat without necessarily featuring the boat itself”.
McKinley also said deturfing the site was “particularly hard work” given the terrain.
When asked what was found, there was only so much she was able to say without spoiling the future Time Team episode.
But McKinley did say: “As usual things didn’t quite do what we thought they would do, and it doesn’t quite fit exactly into things that have been found previously.
“We did find some exciting stuff – I was really quite chuffed with some of the finds that we had.”
She highlighted one find that was “very small” but was something that she had never uncovered before in her career.
Shetland’s regional archaeologist Dr Val Turner became aware of the site during an assessment for a housing planning proposal a few years ago.
Her investigations identified a 22.5-metre prominent and seemingly undisturbed mound on private land, with characteristic features associated with a potential Viking-era boat burial.
Viking boat burials are said to be extremely rare and are usually associated with high-status individuals.
The site has been given scheduled monument consent by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
