Invited to Norway to present research at the 20th Viking Congress
Professor Ingrid Mainland, Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon and Dr Siobhan Cooke-Miller were three of the 12 Scottish delegates invited to attend the recent Viking Congress.
Category: Viking/Norse
Report from the field – notes on a PhD research trip to Orkney
PhD student Sophie Durbin looks back on her summer research trip to Orkney.
Sarah Jane joins Tom for a blether about ‘Saints, sandstone and selkie songs’
Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon features in Tom Muir’s latest podcast, where they talk about the stories, songs, beliefs and archaeological remains that help us understand how Orkney became the place it is today.
ORCA involved in discovery of possible Viking-era church on Swona
Archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) have helped uncover what could be a 1,000-year-old Viking church on the island of Swona.
Raggie talks Norn in latest Robwords language podcast
Dr Ragnhild Ljosland features in the latest Robwords podcast, looking at ‘What happened to Britain’s Viking language?’
Dig diary – final week at Skaill, Rousay
An update on the final week of excavation from Dan Lee.
Back in Rousay for three-week excavation at Skaill Farm
Our second dig of the 2026 season gets under way tomorrow, with archaeologists, students and volunteers from the UHI Archaeology Institute back at the multi-period settlement site at Skaill, Rousay.
OAS talk on the archaeology of Christianity in medieval Orkney
Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon will give an Orkney Archaeology Society talk about her research into medieval Orcadian Christianity on May 28, 2026.
Publication and funding success for PhD student
Sophie Durbin, a UHI Archaeology Institute PhD student, has published an article in a special edition of Different Visions, which puts forward a novel approach to Orkney’s Norse and Neolithic archaeology through the lens of post-modern performance.
Seminar: Prof Niall Sharples on Bornais and the Norse settlement of the Hebrides
Professor Niall Sharples is our guest on Friday, Feb 27, for our monthly online research seminar.
New journal paper on cult of Saint Magnus in Caithness available now
The cult of Orkney’s patron saint – St Magnus – in Caithness is the subject of a new paper by Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon and Dr James Moore in a special issue of the Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies.
Archaeology Institute welcomes new visiting professor
In December, the UHI Archaeology Institute welcomed Dr Colleen Batey to its ranks of visiting academics.
Delve into the secrets of the runes with short course starting January
Our online short course, starting in January 2026, focuses on runes – a writing system that developed in western Europe in the first millennium AD.
Video: Death, destruction and Viking burials
The recording of our latest online seminar, this one featuring Dr Colleen Batey looking at viking grave goods – in particular damaged weaponry.
Runologists gather in Orkney for annual meeting
The 36th Field Runologists Workshop, which took place in Orkney this week, has been hailed a great success!
‘Rune Relay’ in Kirkwall with visiting experts
As part of the Field Runologists’ Meeting, a group of international experts in runic inscriptions are hosting a “Rune Relay” in Orkney next week.
ORCA join Time Team in Shetland to investigate possible Viking boat burial
Time Team experts Dr John Gater, Matt Williams and Jackie McKinley have joined forces with the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), Shetland Islands Council and Viking Specialist, Dr Colleen Batey to investigate a possible Viking era boat burial, first identified by Shetland’s county archaeologist, Dr Val Turner, in 2023.
New book chapter sees lecturer’s PhD research published for first time
UHI Archaeology Institute lecturer Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon is one of the contributors to a new book to be launched next month.
A meeting of minds at ‘Ragna’s Islands’ workshop in Kirkwall
The UHI Archaeology Institute’s Professor Ingrid Mainland, Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon and Dr Siobhan Cooke-Miller were invited to participate in a Ragna’s Islands project workshop held in Kirkwall earlier this week.
Video: public engagement with the Viking Age
The recording of March’s research seminar featuring associate professor Stefan Nyzell, of Malmö University, and our own Dr Ragnhild Ljosland.