Excavation

Date 2008

Event ID 578987

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578987

HP 568 007 - Belmont - The settlement, of which the Norse site is part, is located on a W facing slope consisting of marginal hill grazing at around 30m OD. The Norse settlement is aligned downslope and is part of a multi-period complex. Earlier excavations took place in 1996 and 2006 (Larsen 1997a, 1997b; Bond, Larsen and Turner 2006), as part of an extensive investigation of Viking Age (early Norse) and Late Norse settlement in Unst.

The principal objective for 2008 was to further investigate the phases defined in 2006 including:

• Deposits pre-dating the construction of the longhouse.

• A Viking longhouse (primary house) with curved walls and with drains constructed before the house. Soils

associated with the house.

• Second phase longhouse with the walls straightened and with the extensions added to the building. Soils

associated with this phase of the longhouse and its extensions.

• Late Norse structure built over the north-western portion of the longhouse and with a re-modelled north-western extension. Soils associated with this phase of the house and its extensions.

• Deposits post-dating abandonment of the longhouse.

• Planticrub structure and soils associated with the planticrub cultivation. The planticrub was constructed

over the abandoned Late Norse house in the postmedieval period.

• The construction and character of the different house units, the settlement structure, the economic resource

unit and the dating of the different phases of the Norse farm.

The excavation area of two years ago was extended with a new area (Area 20) to the N of the NW extension and with another area (Area 19) to the S of the longhouse. Removing the last remains of the planticrub on top of the northern longwall made it possible to get a better insight into the different building phases of the Norse settlement.

Longhouse (House 1) – The interior of the Norse dwellinghouse (measuring approximately 22 x 7m) was excavated through the removal of internal baulks and further removal of floor layers. In the SE (upper slope) part of the longhouse the centrally placed longfire (hearth) was further investigated and a paved area was found N of the hearth. This paved area leads to a tentatively identified entrance in the northern long wall.

The bench located in 2006 in the northern part of the upper end of the house was located further to the NW and was seen as a continuous structure running along the northern longwall. In the lower-lying end of the longhouse a set of postholes for roof supporting posts were identified near the NW gable end, and together with the posthole identified in 2006 the two postholes can be linked to House I. Another new discovery in House I was an entrance in the middle of the southern longwall opposite the northern entrance located in 1996. This year’s work confirmed that the original northern longwall had been straightened in a later building phase.

Extensions – The western extension situated to the N of the longhouse was further excavated and a paved passage was located running between the northern longwall and this extension. From this passage an entrance leads into the extension. The deposits in the eastern extension were only briefly investigated but it was possible to locate a concentration of hammer scale indicating that metalworking activities had taken place there.

Later construction – A better understanding of the shorter, rebuilt, later house (House II – c13 x 6m) was obtained. Apart from the fireplace constructed against the S wall (already identified in 1996) a new centrally placed hearth was found. This hearth was constructed re-using part of the internal drain of House I. A little to the N of this hearth a posthole (for a roof supporting post) cut into the bedrock was excavated. To the S of the hearth a flat stone situated opposite this posthole indicated a probable base for another roof supporting post.

An additional possible posthole was found immediately inside the SE gable end of House II. To the N of this possible posthole a bench was located inside the eastern gable end running SE/NW along the northern wall of House II. This area was extremely rich in finds (see below). Environmental samples were taken from inside the structures.

Paved areas and drains – Several paved areas connected with the longhouse were more thoroughly investigated – eg around the entrance area of the northern longwall in House I. A slab with two drilled holes found in the interior part of this entrance of the longhouse might indicate the presence of an internal dividing wall (eg made of wicker). A part of the internal drain in House I was reused as a hearth in House II.

Outhouse or enclosure – The SE part of the oblong structure situated parallel and to the N of the longhouse was uncovered in order to determine any stratigraphic relationship between this structure and the Norse settlement. The pathway running from the northern entrance of the longhouse and between the two extensions was discovered to continue further to the N. It was possible to follow the pathway passing and overlying the oblong structure which means that the latter is older that the pathway. The structure seems to have a double-walled construction, but its dating is uncertain. Parallels are known from Neolithic times in Shetland (eg West Mainland).

Stone walls – The stone walls uncovered in 2006 were further surveyed in 2008 in order to produce data for a three dimensional model of the Norse site.

Norse finds – More than 300 finds were uncovered this season, including artefacts such as steatite lamps, net

sinkers, line sinkers, hones of schist (local and imported Eidsborg types), fragments of household articles such

as pottery and steatite bowls as well as large amounts of raw materials and manufacturing waste. One of the most significant finds this season was an iron bloom found in a circular stone structure to the S of the longhouse (found on the last day of excavation). Some form of channel seems to be running downslope from this structure. Another find of potential importance is a roundish, composite metal object, presumably a weight.

Preliminary dating – The layout of the structures and the finds suggest possible dates for the settlement site. The earliest phase of the longhouse, its curved walls, size, the byre and the centrally placed hearth, has parallels with other Norse sites in Shetland and the Faroe Islands, dated to the 9th–10th centuries AD. The later House II has parallels with the Norse coastal site at Underhoull. The two hearths indicate two different phases of House II. The house is smaller, a feature which seems characteristic of the medieval or late Norse period. The structure is currently tentatively dated to the 11th–12th centuries AD.

Rock carvings – The cup-marked feature to the S of the southern longwall was further delimited but it is still

uncertain whether it is a cup-marked stone or if the cupmarks were made on bedrock.

Economy – The large quantities of worked steatite, raw material and manufacturing waste indicate that steatite

quarrying and production might have played a very important role in the economy of Norse Belmont. This summer, a survey took place in order to determine the proximity and extent of local steatite resources. Several outcrops were found in the vicinity and some showed traces of having been worked. The survey and geological maps show seven to eight outcrops of steatite near Belmont.

The discovery of an iron bloom indicates that iron smelting could also have played a part in the economy of Belmont. Excavations will continue at Belmont in 2009.

British and Danish sponsors, funding bodies and support: European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, Shetland Amenity Trust, Shetland Development Trust, Shetland Enterprise Company, Shetland Islands Council, The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, University of Aberdeen, University of Bradford and University of Copenhagen

J M Bond, A C Larson and V E Turner, 2008