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.
| 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 | 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 | 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, 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 |