Professor Niall Sharples is our guest on Friday for our monthly online research seminar.
Professor Sharples will explore the archaeological evidence for the viking incursions in the western seaboard of Scotland, where new evidence from recent archaeological investigations has transformed our understanding of the Scandinavian settlement of the region.
A comprehensive and nuanced narrative of the colonisation is now possible using the evidence from settlements, burials, precious metal hoards, and the occasional stone monument.
It is clear that the sparsely occupied landscape was occupied by colonialists from Norway, who introduced a range of new material culture, that included a completely alien form of housing. They occupied ancient settlements that had been abandoned by the indigenous inhabitants and introduced an agricultural regime that focused on intensive crop production and the harvesting of marine resources. This agricultural regime was capable of supporting a large population that played an important role in the Kingdom of Man and the Isles and contacts peaceful and aggressive, with the Irish and English towns of the Irish Sea seem to have been routine for several centuries.
The seminar, which runs from 4-5pm, on Friday, February 27, is free and delivered by Microsoft Teams – join link here. The recording will also be posted to the website as soon as possible afterwards.
