Field Visit

Date 31 March 2022

Event ID 1160404

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1160404

NR 290 758 Previous archaeological survey on Nave Island (Canmore ID: 37473) had identified a barrel shaped earthwork. This has not been systematically surveyed and has received various interpretations, including a Viking house, Viking boat burial, or a structure relating to the 19th-century kelp industry on the island. To formally record and begin an investigation of this structure an earthwork and geophysical survey was undertaken on 31 March 2022.

The geophysics survey was undertaken by Magnitude Surveys using Earth Resistance and Ground Penetrating Radar methods. The results of the earthwork and geophysics survey correspond well, showing the structure has curved or bow shaped long walls and rounded ends, with an internal length of 16.5m and width of

6.5m. It was shown to predate the rig and plough that surrounded it. The geophysics detected internal structure, possible a ditch or the remains of an earlier wall. The most likely interpretation remains that of a Viking house.

Archive: Islay Museum of Island Life

Funder: Viking Society for Northern Britain and University of Reading

Steven Mithen and Elaine Jamieson – University of Reading

(Source: DES Volume 23)