Archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) have helped uncover what could be a 1,000-year-old Viking church on the uninhabited island of Swona.
Working with ten sixth-form students from Gordonstoun School during a six-day excavation, the ORCA team uncovered a stone-built feature believed to be the foundation of an altar. The structure’s construction is consistent with Viking-era building techniques dating to the 10th and 11th centuries.
Paul Clark, ORCA’s senior projects manager, said: “Swona has a long and rich history dating back thousands of years, although until this summer it has been the subject of very limited investigation. The students showed great enthusiasm getting involved in the dig and it was an exciting moment for everyone when we discovered the remains of what we believe is an early medieval chapel.
“The next step is to look at the samples we took, to see what they can tell us about the activity undertaken at the chapel, and hopefully recover material suitable for radiocarbon dating.”
If confirmed through radiocarbon dating, the discovery could provide evidence of early Christian worship among Norse settlers in Orkney and the Northern Isles.
Full details of the project, including photographs, can be seen on the Gordonstoun website.
