Text by: Pete Bevington
Photos by: Malcolm Younger

22 August 2008

UP HELLY Aa, the Shetland model, the local dialect, virtually every place name in the islands…they all speak of our cultural connection with Scandinavia and their most famous inhabitants, the Vikings.

But when did they come here? How did they interact with the indigenous Picts? What did they do? All these questions remain unanswered.

Shetland Amenity Trust’s Viking Unst project is trying to clear some of the mist and shed light on what was probably the most defining moment in these islands’ past.

Unst has a greater concentration of Viking longhouse remains than anywhere else in Shetland, showing its importance for the Norse people.

Archaeologists say that if you turn a map of the North Sea upside down it’s not surprising as the island would probably be your first landfall two days after setting sail from western Norway, and would be a good base for onward journeys.

The trust has been sponsoring the excavation of three of these longhouse sites at Belmont and Underhoull on the island’s south west, and at Hamar, by Baltasound, on the east coast.

“There are at least 30 longhouses in Unst, so it seemed like the best place to try and get to grips with the Vikings in Shetland,” regional archaeologist Val Turner said.

How thin the hard evidence about longhouses here is became clear 20 years ago when the idea of reconstructing one at Jarlshof was discussed.

“It fell to the ground largely because we didn’t know what a Viking longhouse looked like, so despite the fact that the Viking way of life had such a big impact on Shetland, its beginnings are shrouded in mystery.”

But as often happens when you start exploring a subject, the excavations on Unst are throwing up a whole series of new questions.

Anne-Christine Larsen, a leading authority on the subject from the world famous Viking Ship Museum, in Roskilde, Denmark, has been working on the Belmont site for the past 12 years and what she discovered surprised her.

Rather than a simple structure she has found a complex development extended and adapted over the years, much like a modern home adding an extra bedroom and a porch to accommodate a growing household.

This was more than just a seasonal farming settlement, more of a permanent site which probably housed a family as it grew over several generations.

The farmstead is well inland from the coast and more than 100 feet above sea level, unusual for a people whose main mode of transport was by boat. Its position could be explained by its proximity to a seam of steatite and the small quantity of soapstone goods found there. There were remnants of a bowl, two lamps, spindlewhorls and net weights. There is also hammer scale, the by product of iron working.

Dr Larsen believes a family of three generations lived here, farming sheep and cattle and running a small soapstone workshop which could have provided an extra income.

“We can follow the farm’s development over six phases starting with a longhouse 20 to 22 metres long. At some stage the house has been rebuilt and two annexes have been added,” she said.

Ms Turner said: “Initially we thought it must have been a temporary or very marginal site because of its position up the hill, but that’s not the case. It’s probably a good upper middle class farm working well. It’s not a Jarl’s house, but a thriving farm, a big happening place.”

Underhoull and Hamar have also exposed a more sophisticated lifestyle than had been previously imagined, providing plenty of material for the amenity trust’s next project.

Over the winter they plan to reconstruct a Viking longhouse based on the discoveries made so far by the Viking Unst project.

The site has already been chosen - Brookpoint, south of Haroldswick, where legend has it that King Harald of Norway first set foot on what is now British soil, a legend for which there is absolutely no firm evidence even about which King Harald it speaks of.

At the moment the Living History team who brought the past to life at Old Scatness have been joined by several local men who entertain and educate visitors. They have erected Viking style tents next to the beached hull of the replica longship Skidbladner, stranded in Shetland after its Swedish builders failed to sail her to America for the millennium celebrations.

Keith Prosser, of the Living History team, sees the reconstruction as the first step of a small Viking settlement, including a boat house and a smithy, with an annual festival attracting people following the Viking trail from Norway to the USA.

“There’s plenty of enthusiasm on the island. As far as the locals are concerned this is already behind schedule. They want it up now,” he said.

Dr Larsen has also been infected by Unst’s enthusiasm for the heritage work going on there. “They have really taken this project to their hearts,” she said.

Val Turner agreed. “A lot of people say this is the best thing to happen to Unst for a long time. People seem to be regaining their pride of place, which I think took a huge blow when the RAF pulled out and the airport closed and so many jobs were lost. This is helping to restore Unst’s belief in itself.”

As for the archaeology, the Bradford University digs at Hamar and Underhoull have come to an end this year. Belmont has one year to go. The next phase of the project, if all goes well, should start focussing on chapels and burial sites.