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Boat burial of Viking warrior in Scotland

An intact Viking age grave has been discovered by archaeologists working on the west coast of Scotland in the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula. The team believes that this is the first intact pagan Norse grave to have been excavated in mainland Scotland for 30 years.

The 5m-long boat burial contained the remains of what has been described as a high status Viking, buried with an axe, a sword with a beautifully decorated hilt, a spear, shield boss and bronze ring-pin. The man had been buried in a small boat, which was recognizable from the 200 iron rivets found on the site.

The unexpected find on a rocky cliff top was made by the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project (ATP) led by a team from the Universities of Manchester and Leicester, along with staff members from CFA Archaeology Ltd and Archaeology Scotland. The significance of what they had found was only full realized once the material was examined in greater detail.

The site has now been fully excavated and recognizable finds include a knife, the tip of a bronze drinking horn, a Norwegian whetstone and an Irish bronze ring pin as well as typical Viking period pottery. Dozens of pieces of iron have yet to be identified from the site.

A Viking boat burial is an incredible discovery, but in addition to that, the artifacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Scotland.
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