Photo: Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA WireViking burial site found in Lochaber, Scotland
Last updated: 19/10/2011 //
A burial site dating back more than 1000 years has been discovered on the Ardnamurchan peninsula in Lochaber Scotland. This is the first fully intact Viking boat burial site ever to be found on the UK mainland and the discovery will lead to a better understanding of how the Vikings came to Scotland from Scandinavia.
The man discovered is said to be a well travelled, high-ranking warrior as he was buried with an axe, a sword and a spear in a 5m grave where they also found a whetstone from Norway, a ring pin from Ireland and pottery from the Hebrides. Teeth from the body will be used to determine where the man came from.
Ardnamurchan Transitions Project, a team led by experts from the universities of Manchester and Leicester, CFA Archaeology and Archaeology Scotland discovered the burial site.
Raids by Vikings began in Scotland at the end of the eight century, and by the middle of the ninth century the Norsemen had settled in Orkney and Shetland.
British museum have shown interest in displaying the artefacts for the public.
Read an article from The Scotsman here.