The Norse and the Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Scandinavian Scotland (NaS)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Highlands and Islands
Department Name: Institute for Northern Studies
Abstract
This project will investigate the maritime cultural landscape in Scandinavian Scotland (c. AD 790-1350), through an interdisciplinary approach using archaeological, written and toponymic evidence and address the overarching questions of connectivity and communication in Norse Scotland. The term 'maritime cultural landscape' was originally coined by Norwegian archaeologists Christer Westerdahl to denote 'the unity of remnants of maritime culture on land as well as underwater'. This formed part of his ground-breaking analytical framework developed for the Bothnian/Baltic area and which has been successfully applied in Scandinavia, Germany and the North Atlantic. This concept is virtually unexplored for Scandinavian Scotland, despite being equally applicable to this area. By bringing this innovative research framework combined with archaeological and geophysical fieldwork to Scotland, this project will generate new data on maritime culture and enable important study of this geographic area from a whole new perspective.
The project will build on three main strands of research: existing research on the Norse settlement of Scandinavian Scotland, smaller research initiatives focusing on maritime Scotland, as well as research on maritime cultural landscape from Germany, Scandinavia and the wider North Atlantic.
The research will be carried out through three work packages. The first one encompasses a PhD project entitled Norse harbours in the west of Scotland for which a number of Norse landing places in Scotland will be identified and examined through geophysical survey and targeted excavation. In the second work package The Norse in the North and West of Scotland: settlements and the sea - the toponymic evidence, a PDRA and project partners will examine place-names to provide insight into maritime travel and harbours in Scandinavian Scotland. Data will also be drawn from oral traditions through study of local folklore and interviews with local people, as such traditions are still strong in rural Scotland. In the third work package Travel and communication in Scandinavian Scotland and the wider North Atlantic an overarching view of the maritime cultural landscape as well as travel and communication will be created through detailed analysis of Norse archaeological remains and landscape study. All in all, the project will provide a whole new view of Scandinavian Scotland.
The project results will be presented at workshops and conferences as well as a range of publications and a website.
The project will build on three main strands of research: existing research on the Norse settlement of Scandinavian Scotland, smaller research initiatives focusing on maritime Scotland, as well as research on maritime cultural landscape from Germany, Scandinavia and the wider North Atlantic.
The research will be carried out through three work packages. The first one encompasses a PhD project entitled Norse harbours in the west of Scotland for which a number of Norse landing places in Scotland will be identified and examined through geophysical survey and targeted excavation. In the second work package The Norse in the North and West of Scotland: settlements and the sea - the toponymic evidence, a PDRA and project partners will examine place-names to provide insight into maritime travel and harbours in Scandinavian Scotland. Data will also be drawn from oral traditions through study of local folklore and interviews with local people, as such traditions are still strong in rural Scotland. In the third work package Travel and communication in Scandinavian Scotland and the wider North Atlantic an overarching view of the maritime cultural landscape as well as travel and communication will be created through detailed analysis of Norse archaeological remains and landscape study. All in all, the project will provide a whole new view of Scandinavian Scotland.
The project results will be presented at workshops and conferences as well as a range of publications and a website.
Publications
Kalmring S
(2022)
The Landing Site of Laig on Eigg, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. First Field Campaign of the AHRC/DFG Research Project The Norse and the Sea
in Jahresbericht Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie
Kalmring S
(2023)
Machrins
Kalmring S
(2023)
Kiloran Bay, Colonsay
Lu, E
(2025)
Carried through the rushes: FDEMI prospection on the Isle of Eigg, Scotland
in PUR - ArchaeoSciences ICAP
Sanmark A
(2024)
Norse Navigation in the Northern Isles
in Journal of the North Atlantic
Sanmark, A
(2024)
History Maker: Essays in honour of Brian Smith
Sanmark, A
(2024)
Una vida vikinga. Un ha vida viquinga. A viking life
| Description | The project is progressing very well and reaching the milestones set out in the application. So far, the three rounds of fieldwork have been completed, all in line with the project objectives. The first round was held on the Isle of Eigg, where the team carried out geophysical survey and excavation. The excavation report has been completed and submitted to the new online reporting system OASIS (https://oasis.ac.uk/about.xhtml). Due to the nature of the reporting system, this has not yet been published in Discovery and Excavation Scotland, but Archaeology Scotland has reassured us it will be published as soon as possible. The fieldwork was successful and although no artefacts associated with the Norse period were found, we have reinterpreted the historic landscape at the Norse landing site and farm. The second and third rounds of fieldwork were carried out on the island of Colonsay at the two sites of Kiloran Bay and Machrins, also through geophysical survey and excavation. The artefacts and survey results retrieved so far suggest a medieval, possibly elite presence, and some type of settlement and burials and the team will return to the island later this year to continue the work. The results are very promising and it may be that a separate project will need to be developed in the future for further archaeological investigation of the area. We have also fulfilled all project objectives in terms of workshops and have so far held six one day sessions on the themes of Maritime cultural landscapes, Archaeological predictive modelling, geophysics, metal detecting, and GIS analysis in the search for harbours and landing places, Sea voyages, boat building and defence systems, and The Norse and the Sea progress and future directions etc. These have been highly successful in both communicating the results of the project team and also gathering relevant research that is of benefit to the project as a whole. In addition, they have led to many follow-up meetings and data sharing. The project advisors have also been in regular attendance and have offered many useful insights to the ongoing research. The workshops were moved to online events, in the first instance to comply with Covid regulations and later in order to save on travel costs as prices have risen greatly since the initial travel budget was set. In addition we organised a two-day conference in the Isle of Skye to which both academic researchers at all levels (from PhD students to senior staff) as well as members of the public were invited to attend. The conference was a great success and was followed by a full day trip to sites relating to sea and communication, with emphasis on the Norse period. Select papers from this event a well as the workshops will be published in the final project volume (VME, Brepols). The team has also presented the research findings at a number of events, such as seminar series and conferences, as set out in the Engagement Activities section. Also this is fully in line with project objectives. In this way, we have been able to present our results to international audiences and have received much useful feedback. In addition, the team has made a number of field visits to key sites across the Scottish west coast and islands in order to search for potential areas of Norse landing places in the preparation for fieldwork. These field visits have also been crucial in terms of data gathering for research and publications. The only area where fulfilment of the project objectives has been delayed is publications. This is mainly due to the slow movement of academic publishing. This year has however seen great improvement as reported above. The following articles are in preparation and will be submitted for review and publication in the coming months: S. McLeod, 'Watching the Waters: Sentinel sites in the Inner Hebrides' S. McLeod, A Jennings, S. Kalmring 'Resources for boats and boat building' A. Sanmark and S. McLeod, 'Norse Navigation on the Scottish West Coast' A. Sanmark and S. McLeod, 'Portages and their use in Scandinavian Scotland' S. McLeod ''and so one after another was lit throughout the islands': the Norse beacon system of Orkney'. A. Sanmark 'Portages in Orkney'. The project results are highly significant, and the team will continue to build on them in the coming year. Future projects with more focused areas of research as well as more fieldwork are envisaged and planned by the team. |
| Exploitation Route | Otehr scholars will be able to build on the results for further research publications and funding applications. Students will also benefit from the published work in their learning. The archaeological finds retrieved will be availabe in collections for others to study. In the long run, local areas can develop our findings for tourism, such as integration into walking trails. |
| Sectors | Education Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| Description | The project is beginning to see impact, both in the academic community and more widely. In terms of the academic impact, we note a steadily growing interest in the concept of maritime cultural landscapes, which is the underpinning concept of the current project. The number of invitations from other academics to present our research both within and beyond the UK shows the need for further knowledge is growing and may indicate the start of a new research area. We have recruited a new PhD studnet who will be applying our methodology developed for northern Scotland to southern England and the Ise of Wight and the Solent in particular. In addition, our workshops have been well attended by both established academics and postgraduate students, and they have led to many follow-up meetings and data sharing. In terms of impact outside academia, the response so far has been very positive. When the project was first announced via websites, media outlets and social media, project members were contacted by many members of the public and private or third/voluntary sectors who were keen to let us know about interesting sites in their local area or volunteering their services. So far, the team has met up with a number of people in order to visit the sites in question. A team of self-employed researchers have been invited to present their work at a forthcoming event. Public lectures have been held for local communities on the islands of Eigg, Skye and Colonsay. Some lectures have also been delivered in hybrid format, with the talk given by A. Sanmark and S. McLeod at the Archaeological Research in Progress conference in Edinburgh having been viewed on YouTube over 700 times. Further public facing events in island communities are currently being planned and additional funding sought. To date, presentations have been made to two small island primary schools, teaching them about the Viking Age in their local area, and providing them with hands-on archaeological activities such as digging, sieving and using a metal detector. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | Fieldwork training for PGR students |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The students have gained practical skills in archaeological fieldwork, both geophysical survey and excavation. In addition, they have also added to their skills in landscape archaeology. The fieldwork focused on two areas on the island: Machrins and Kiloran Bay. Students were invited to particpate in all stages of the fieldwork and recording methods and have as a result much improved their archaeological fieldskills, which will serve them well in their further studies, as well as for future employment opportunities. |
| Description | PGR training |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Students learnt how to excavate and fill out the necessary reports, preserve samples etc. |
| Description | PhD using project methodology |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Training for PGR students |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The students have benefitted from learning about the interdisciplinary methods applied within this project, as well as the basics of landscape archaeology. This year we have visited Mull as well as the Scottish west coast. In this way, the students got the chance to apply their learning to real research questions in the field and also learnt what tools (some of which are digital) and also recording methods are used in the search for Viking Age and Norse presence, landing places and communications more widely. This practical experience is invaluable and is rarely available to students. |
| Description | Training for PGR students |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The students have benefitted from learning about the interdisciplinary methods applied within this project, as well as the basics of landscape archaeology. This year we have visited the Isle of Skye and Lochalsh and further visits to Mull, Colonsay etc are upcoming later this month. In this way, the students got the chance to apply their learning to real research questions in the field and also learnt what tools (some of which are digital) and also recording methods are used in the search for Viking Age and Norse presence, landing places and communications more widely. This practical experience is invaluable and is rarely available to students. |
| Description | Training for UG and PG students |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The invited students took part in the geophyscial survey and small excavations on the Isle of Eigg in June 2022. In this way, they gained experience of practical fieldwork methods, which is often hard to access for students, especially dureing and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The training included an introduction to geophysics, as well as archaeological excavation and recording methods (single context). The students also learnt more about the archaeology and history of the peoples of early medieval Scotland and the usefulness of place-names in archaeological research. |
| Description | Grant - Dating of wood from Tarbert, Kintyre |
| Amount | £1,982 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | UHI reference 2629AS |
| Organisation | Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2024 |
| End | 02/2025 |
| Description | Archaeological Research in Progress Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A joint presentation by Alexandra Sanmark and Shane McLeod on May 27, 2023 at the Archaeological Research in Progress Conference, held in Edinburgh. This was a hybrid event. Our presentation generated questions and discussion afterwards, including follow-up meetings after the event. A photo from our research was used to promote the event (as seen in the URL provided below), and the presentation has also been viewed 492 times on YouTube (as of March 11, 2024). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.socantscot.org/event/archaeological-research-in-progress-conference-2023/ |
| Description | Conference Paper (EAA) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A joint presentation by Alexandra Sanmark and Shane McLeod at the international conference of the European Association of Archaeologists, held in Belfast. Our presentation generated questions and discussion afterwards, including follow-up meetings after the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.e-a-a.org/eaa2023 |
| Description | In-person workshop (Kiel) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An in-person project workshop was held at the University of Kiel attended by invited guests from Germany, Denmark and Norway. Alexandra Sanmark and Shane McLeod gave a presentation on their latest work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited Conference presentation: Portages and Inland Waterways: Travel and Communication in Scandinavian Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A reserach presentation entitled Portages and Inland Waterways: Travel and Communication in Scandinavian Scotland, delivered at the Scandinavian Studies Seminar, University of Aberdeen. There were 50 people in the audience and the seminar was also live streamed to another 60 participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited Conference presentation: Travel and Communication in Norse Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to present the results of our project by the University of Olso. I gave a presentation called Travel and Communication in Norse Scotland: the Role of Portages and Inland Waterways at the conference Linking Places in the Emerging Viking Age |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.khm.uio.no/english/research/events/other/viking-age-conference2024.html |
| Description | Islands Forum Showcase (talk) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Alexandra Sanmark presented the project at the Islands Forum Showcase on September 13, 2023. This hybrid event allowed us to present the island-centric themes of The Norse and the Sea to a new audience. The presentation sparked questions and discussions afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Of Viking Ships and Harbours: Aspects of the maritime cultural landscape (public lecture) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sven Kalmring presented an online lecture on November 30, 2023, titled 'Of Viking Ships and Harbours: Aspects of the maritime cultural landscape' as part of the UHI Institute for Northern Studies public lecture program. The talk was very well attended and led to many questions, and follow-up meetings after the event with interested parties. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrENd1qzgl8 |
| Description | Press Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An interview was given to The Times Scotland about ongoing research related to the project and specifically a small research grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Parts of the article in The Times were republished by a newspaper in Norway. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/ancient-oak-could-prove-legend-of-viking-king-magnus-ba... |
| Description | Press interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An interview was given to The Scotsman newspaper about ongoing research related to the project and specifically a small research grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/following-the-journey-of-a-kilted-viking-king-b... |
| Description | Press interview for website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An interview was given to the BBC for an online story about our ongoing project work and specifically a grant awarded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1l4y0pr70go |
| Description | Public talk (Colonsay) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A very well attended public lecture was held in the hall on Colonsay, comprising of an introduction to the project followed by a specialist lecture on Viking Age Colonsay. This resulted in many questions from the audience, and the sharing of local information which was of use to our project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Public talk (Colonsay) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public talk given on Colonsay about the project, attended by 25 people made up of local residents, project members and volunteers, PGR students and tourists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Public talk (Eigg) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 100 people, including some professional practitioners, attended a talk given at the Eigg Community Hall in September 2022, 'The Norse and the Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Scandinavian Scotland (NaS) Laig on Eigg - Fieldwork and First Results'. The talk introduced the Norse and the Sea project and explained why Eigg was chosen for the first fieldwork visit, and what had been discovered during the fieldwork. The talk sparked numerous questions and was, along with the fieldwork itself, reported in the local History Society newsletter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Round Table Session at International Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Shane McLeod and Alexandra Sanmark organised a Round Table session at the European Association of Archaeologists Annual Conference held in Rome. The session was entitled Contacts, movements, migrations in the Viking Age:Maritime aspects of the Norse expansion into the North Atlantic. In total there were five presentations (Sanmark, McLeod and German project PhD student Erman Lu, as well Marie Odegaard, University of Stavanger and Greer Jarrett, PhD student at the University of Lund). The presentations were followed by an hour long disussion in which the audience particpated. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2024/Programme.aspx?WebsiteKey=20b5538d-68f8-4056-9596-1ae1ce0ead47&hkey=fe... |
| Description | School visit (Colonsay) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | All students and staff from Colonsay primary school visited the excavation site to see us work, learn about what we were doing and the basic history of the Viking Age in their area, and to learn how to sieve, dig and use a metal-detector. This sparked many questions and discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | School visit (Eigg) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Ten students, one teacher and three parents from Eigg Primary School attended the fieldwork on ?/9/22. During their visit the students got to see the excavation taking place and were taught about 'Vikings'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Alexandra Sanmark presented some of the research results so far at a seminar held in the Department of Archaeology, Uppsala University. The presentation was c 50 mins long followed by an hour's discussion on methodology and ways forward for this type of research. Several UG and PG students asked for advice on how to use these methods in their own work. Many new contacts were made. Abstract: The Norse and the Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Scandinavian Scotland This seminar will present early results of the ongoing research project entitled The Norse and the Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Scandinavian Scotland, jointly led by Alex Sanmark and Sven Kalmring. This project investigates the maritime cultural landscape in Scandinavian Scotland (c. AD 790-1350) as well as questions around connectivity and communication. These questions are approached through detailed analysis of Norse archaeological remains and landscape study, in conjunction with place-names and oral traditions. The seminar will also present the results of the first project fieldwork held on the Isle of Eigg in September 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Talk (Lewis) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 20 people attended a presentation, 'The Norse & the Sea: the Maritime Cultural Landscape of Scandinavian Scotland', given at the online Feis na Fairge Maritime Festival, Isle of Lewis, on March 24, 2022. The talk was well received and led to questions and discussion afterwards, including information about the discovery of boat rivets which led to a new region for investigation by the NaS team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk (Skye) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sven Kalmring delivered a public lecture at Sabhal Mor Ostaig (SMO) on Skye on 08/06/2022 on 'The Viking Ship: Roots, Boatbuilding and Development'. The event was attended by approximately 50 people, including members of the local historical society and SMO staff members. The presentation included an introduction to The Norse and the Sea project and our aims, but focused on the history of wooden boats in Scandinavia, tracing the development from the earliest finds to the boats and ships of the Viking Age. The presentation was well received and led to a long discussion about Viking-Age sailing routes and the Scandinavian settlement in Scotland. The team moreover received many suggestions about local sites with potential Viking Age remains as well as possible harbours and landing sites, some of which the team has consequently visited. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea (talk) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Alexandra Sanmark delivered a talk to the Department of Archaeology, Uppsala University, Sweden on The Norse and the Sea project. The talk informed a new audience of the project and led to questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea Workshop 3: Sea voyages, boat building and defence systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 34 people attended our third virtual workshop, 'Sea voyages, boat building and defence systems' on 6/9/23. This event was organised and run by the NaS team as part of the project and project application. The days program featured six presentations, starting with an update on the activities of the NaS project and concluding with group discussion. The papers were given by leading experts from a variety of UK and European institutions and museums. 9.30 - 10.10 Alex Sanmark, Sven Kalmring, Dennis Wilken, Andrew Jennings, Erman Lu and Shane McLeod, Introduction and update to the NaS project; 10.10 - 11.00 Tríona Sørensen, The Sea Stallion from Glendalough: a full-scale reconstruction of a late Viking Age warship from the Irish Sea area; (break) 11.20-12.10 Søren Nielsen, Resources and Management in Viking Age Boatbuilding; 12.10-1300 Andrew Jennings, Place-names as Sailors' Mnemonics; (lunch break) 1400-1450 Markus Nilsen, Stay alert: Shedding light on the beacon systems of Central Norway from the Viking and Middle Ages; 1450-1540 Stuart Brookes, Landscapes of Defense in Early Medieval England; 1540-1630 Final Discussion. The day was highly successful, with lively discussion and resulting in requests to be invited to future workshops. People also commented on how useful the workshop had been for an understanding of the practicalities of sailing and navigation. Finally, the workshop has resulted in new data sharing activities, both for the NaS team and other attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea Workshop 4: A chat with the advisory board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On December 7, 2023 we held a small workshop specifically to present our research to our advisory board and to seek feedback from them. 9.30 - 10.10 Alexandra Sanmark, Sven Kalmring, Dennis Wilken, Andrew Jennings, Erman Lu and Shane McLeod, Introduction and updates; 10.10 - 11.00 Alexandra Sanmark and Shane McLeod, Recent research on navigation; (break) 11.20 - 12.10 Stefan Brink, Beacon names in Scandinavia; (lunch) 12.50 - 15.00 General Discussion. The workshop provided us with very useful feedback on past activities and advice on what to concentrate on in our final year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea conference, Isle of Skye |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Norse and the Sea project conference was held in Skye with speakers from the UK, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The audience included academics, postgraduate students, members of the general public and a representative from Historic Environment Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea, Workshop 1: Maritime Cultural Landscapes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 30 people, including the project advisory board, attended the first Norse and the Sea workshop, 'Maritime Cultural Landscapes', held on 16/2/22. It was held virtually due to the Covid19 pandemic, but this format is now preferable for many reasons - more participants, people less willing to travel, rising travel costs and using the funding for key project tasks such as site visits and the final conference - and workshops will continue to be held online. The days program featured six presentations, starting with an introduction to the NaS project and concluding with group discussion. The papers were given by leading experts from a variety of UK and European institutions and museums. Here is the days program: 9.30 - 10.00 Alex Sanmark, Sven Kalmring, Dennis Wilken, and Andrew Jennings, Introduction to the NaS project 10.00 - 10.50 Alex Sanmark, Waterways in the West Mainland of Orkney BREAK 11.05 - 11.55 Jens Ulriksen, Maritime South Scandinavia/Denmark 11.55 - 12.45 Arne Kruse, On harbours and havens: Maritime strategies during the Viking Age 12.45 - 13.45 LUNCH BREAK 13.45 - 14.35 Greer Jarret, Mapping Midgard. Experiential representations of Viking Age seafaring using critical cartography 14.35 - 15.25 Gavin Parsons, Norse boating legacy on the Gaelic west coast 15.25 - 16.00 FINAL DISCUSSION The day was very successful with many interesting presentations on the different methodologies and source materials used in our project. Advisory board members presented materials and also contributed to the wider discussion. The final discussion focused on, in particular, place-names as sources for landing places and sea voyages, the use of experimental archaeology and boat reconstruction, as well as navigation methods. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | The Norse and the Sea, Workshop 2: Archaeological predictive modelling, geophysics, metal detecting, and GIS analysis in the search for harbours and landing places |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 39 people attended our second virtual workshop, 'Archaeological predictive modelling, geophysics, metal detecting, and GIS analysis in the search for harbours and landing places' on 2/2/23. This event was organised and run by the NaS team as part of the project and project application. The days program featured seven presentations, starting with an update on the activities of the NaS project and concluding with group discussion. The papers were given by leading experts from a variety of UK and European institutions and museums. 9.30 - 10.00 Alex Sanmark, Sven Kalmring, Dennis Wilken, Andrew Jennings, Erman Lu and Shane McLeod, Introduction and update to the NaS project 10.00 - 10.40 Joris Coolen, GIS and survey work in the HaNoA-project BREAK 10.55 - 11.35 Jens Ulriksen, Finding and excavating Viking Age landing sites 11.35 - 12.15 Arne Anderson Stamnes, The PastCoast-project - investigating coastal sites by combining metal detecting assemblages and geophysical survey methods. Methodologies and some preliminary results. 12.15 - 12.55 Peder Gammeltoft, Getting a sense of where to look - using place-name distributions and Ordnance Survey 1" maps to pinpoint possible sites 12.55 - 14.00 LUNCH BREAK 14.00 - 14.40 Petra Schneidhofer, Discovery, study, management and protection of Nordic Iron and Viking Age landscapes 14.40 - 15.20 Immo Trinks, Potential and limitations of extensive high-resolution geophysical archaeological prospection of Scandinavian Iron Age sites 15.20 - 16.00 FINAL DISCUSSION The day was highly successful, with lively discussion and resulting in requests to be invited to future workshops. People also commented on how useful the workshop had been for an understanding of the different non-invasive archaeological research methods worked. Finally, the workshop has resulted in new data sharing activities, both for the NaS team and other attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | UHI Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Shane McLeod presented an online talk about his work on beacons, which stems from the project. Attended by 35 people. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Watching the Waters: Beacon and sentinel sites in western Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Shane McLeod, presented a public hybrid lecture titled Watching the Waters: Beacon and sentinel sites in western Scotland for the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies, University of Glasgow, on January 9, 2024. The lecture sparked many questions and discussions afterwards, and led to the sharing of information from attendees, and requests for further information about The Norse and the Sea project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Watching the Waters: Sentinel sites in Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Shane McLeod presented 'Watching the Waters: Sentinel sites in Scotland' at the BCON workshop in Stavanger, Norway. The workshop was attended by leading scholars in the field, making it a good opportunity to discuss The Norse and the Sea project and to present ongoing research on an aspect of the project. The presentation sparked many questions and discussions afterwards, and has led to future collaboration possibilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Project in-person workshop held in Kiel. Attended by 10 scholars. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |