DARK-AGE AND VIKING-AGE POTTERY IN THE HEBRIDES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ...

406 Pages·2008·15.28 MB·English

vi.
APPENDIX III

Miscellaneous context lists 525
and reports on the Udal pottery

111.1 Report on the petrology of sherds 525
from the Udal by Dr D.F. Williams

111.2 The frequency of construction 527
marks on Dark-age pottery from
the tidal

111.3 Context lists of intrusive sherds 528
in level XI to XIV
(a) short everted rims
(b) grassmarked bases
(c) sagging bases

111.4 Context list of platter sherds 529
in levels XI to XIV
APPENDIX IV

Catalogue of illustrated and 530
referenced pottery from
other sites

IV.1 Finds from Dark-age sites 530

IV.2 Finds from Viking-age sites 544

IV.3 Finds from Irish sites 566

IV.4 Finds from the Faroes 578
APPENDIX V

Site lists 579

V.1 Coastal erosion survey sites 579

V.2 List of sites examined with 580
negative results

Bibliography 581

Figures 606

Plates 640
vii.
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
1. Map of the British Isles 606
2. Map of the Hebrides and north-western 607
Scotland with islands mentioned in the
text named.
3. Location map of the Udal on North Uist, 608
showing the position of the Udal North,
Udal South and other sites.
4. Schematic representation of the Udal 609
stratigraphy, structural and dating
evidence as at September 1976.
5. List of relevant radiocarbon dates from 610
the Udal with calibrated date ranges.
6. Diagram of pottery construction joins 611
and other analytical features.
7. Example of Stage IV record (front of sheet) 612
8. Example of Stage IV record (back of sheet) .613
9. The Udal pottery; numbers of sherds in 614
each stratigraphic group.
10. The Udal pottery: weight of sherds in 615
each stratigraphic group.
11. The Udal pottery: percentage frequency 616
of fabrics in each stratigraphic group.
12. The Udal pottery: diameters of fabric A 617
straight-sided vessels in Levels XIV to XI.
13. The Udal pottery: levels XIV-XI. 618
14. The Udal pottery: rim/body angle of Fabric 619
A straight-sided vessels in Levels XIV to XI.
15. The Udal pottery: (a) diameters of Fabric A 620
shouldered vessels in Levels XIV to XI. (b)
diameters of Fabric A indeterminate vessel
forms in Levels XIV to XI.
viii.
16. The Udal pottery: rim angles of Fabric A 621
shouldered vessels in Levels XIV to XI.
17. The Udal pottery: base diameters of Fabric 622
A vessels in Levels XIV to XI.
18. The Udal pottery: Levels XIV-XI. 623
19. The Udal pottery: Level X. 624
20. The TJdal pottery: Level IXc. 625
21. The TJdal pottery: Level IXc. 626
22. The Udal pottery: Levels IXb - X (nos 1- 627
36); miscellaneous vessels (nos 37-40).
23. The TJdal pottery: a diagrammatic 628
illustration of the sections of a tongue-
and-groove constructed vessel.
24. Pottery finds from probable Dark-age sites 629
in the Hebrides.
25. Pottery finds from probable Dark-age sites 630
in the Hebrides.
26. Map of sites in the Hebrides with Dark-age 632
handmade pottery.
27. Pottery finds from probable Viking-age sites 633
in the Hebrides.
28. Pottery from probable Viking-age sites in the 634
Hebrides (nos 1-6) and finds from various other
sites (7-30).
29. Map of sites in the Hebrides with Viking-age 636
handmade pottery.
30. Pottery from the Faroes. 637
31. Pottery from Irish sites. 638
32. Pottery from Irish sites. 639
ix.
LIST OF PLATES
Page
COLOUR PLATES
la Udal North Iron-age vessel 640
b Unstratified Viking-age bowl
2a Level X cup with clear construction 641
joins
b Level IXc platter (upper surface)
3a Level IXc platter fragment (upper 642
surface)
b Level IXc platter fragment (lower
surface)
4a Platter fragment with closely spaced 643
I I ngermarks
b Platter fragment with finger pulled
grooves
5a Platter fragment with t cracked' lower 644
surface
b Platter fragment with grassmarks and
gritmarks
BLACK AND WHITE PLATES
Ga Tongue-and-groove join at the top of 645
a vessel
b Tongue-and-groove join in the middle
of a vessel
7a Tongue-and-groove join at the base of a 646
vessel
b Level XI - shouldered vessel
8a Level XII - bucket-shaped vessel 647
b Level XI - slightly shouldered vessel
9a Level IXc - small cup
648
b Unstratified Viking-age bowl
10 Level IXe - grassmarking on platter
649
(lower surface)
x.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Particular thanks are due to lain Crawford whose
excavations at the Udal provided the primary data for
the study. Without his cooperation this thesis would
not have been possible and his kind provision of working
space was also of great assistance.
My supervisor, James Graham-Campbell, provided much
encouragement and critical comment throughout the
duration of the work, and attempted to improve the
coherence of my English. The remaining faults in fact
and style are, of course, my own.
The staffs of various museums aided and encouraged
the work. These included: The National Museum of
Antiquities, Edinburgh; the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow;
the Glasgow Art Gallery & Museum; the Ulster Museum,
Belfast; the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin; and
the Truro Museum.
Various individuals gave me access to finds and
information. These included: Charles Thomas, Trevor
Cowie, Coinneach Maclean, Ian Shepherd, Richard Reece,
Joanna Close-Brooks, Leslie Alcock, Richard Warner,
Richard Hodges, Robert Stevenson, Peter Gelling, Barbara
Crawford, Derek Simpson, John Hunter, Chris Morris,
Colleen Batey, John Hedges, John Barber, and Anna Ritchie.
Specialist assistance was given by Ronnie McGill and
David Williams.
xi.
Parts of the typescript were originally prepared
by Joan Lane and Elsie Gollan. The final version was
heroically typed by Sabina Thompson.
The final drawings were completed by Howard Mason,
and assistance with photographs was provided by Cap
Sease, Andrew Gollan, and Dave Richards. Mary Braithwaite
read and commented on the whole text and proof read the
final version. Her assistance in finally completing
the work was immense.
Finally, thanks must be given to the Department of
Archaeology, University College, Cardiff for use of
facilities and help in completing the thesis.
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CHAPTER 1
THE STUDY OF HEBRIDEAN DARK-AGE AND
VIKING-AGE POTTERY PRIOR TO 1975
This thesis is concerned with the study of pottery from
the Hebrides in the Dark Age and Viking Age. The Hebrides
are groups of islands off the west coast of Scotland (figs
1&2). There are c. 500 islands in total, and although
some of these are tiny and uninhabited some 100 were said
to be inhabited some years ago (Seltzer 1952, 770). These
islands are divided into two groups, the Inner and Outer
Hebrides, by stretches of water known as the Sea of the
Hebrides and the Minch. The Outer Hebrides comprise the
group of islands (or 'Long Island') running from Lewis and
Harris in the north, through North Uist, Benbecula, and
South Uist, to Barra in the south. This is to name only
the main islands of the group; to the west lies St Kilda.
The Inner Hebrides are less coherent, running from Skye
in the north, through Rhum and Eigg, Coil and Tiree, Mull,
south to Colonsay, Islay and Jura. I do not propose to
discuss the islands from a geographical, geological, or
historical viewpoint except where it is strictly relevant
to the present study (for such information see O'Dell &
Walton 1962; McNeill & Nicholson 1975; Whittow 1977).
I shall also draw a distinction between the northern
and southern Hebrides - the division being north of Mull
and the Ardnamurchan peninsula on the mainland, though
as will become clear Coil and Tiree seem more closely
-2-
related to the northern Hebrides than to the southern
group in terms of some archaeological evidence.
I am using the terms 'Dark Age' and 'Viking Age'
to cover the period from c. 400 to c. 1100 A.D. These
dates, and in particular the initial date, should be
regarded as approximate and are stated for the purposes
of classification and discussion of archaeological evidence.
The question of whether these chronological terms and
divisions have any meaning in terms of sites in the
Hebrides can only be assessed after presentation and
discussion of the archaeological evidence.
The term Dark Age is used in preference to the many
different terms used elsewhere and here refers to the period
c. 400 to c. 800 A.D. This term has been in disfavour in
recent years and such terms as Early Historic, Post-Roman,
Late Celtic, Late Iron Age or Early Medieval have frequently
been used (cf. Laing 1975, xxvi). However, since the
Hebrides were never occupied by the Romans and remain, at
least in the Outer Hebrides, virtually undocumented until
the Viking Age, the term Dark Age is used since it is
reasonably widely understood and begs fewer questions than
the other usages. The dates attributed to the Dark Age
should be regarded as approximate. I shall discuss the
chronology in greater detail in the course of the thesis.
The Viking Age is probably more widely used though
its chronological significance varies considerably. A
date c. 800 A.D. is generally accepted as the beginning
of the period - marked by the contemporary outrage at
-3-
the attack on Lindisfarne in 793 (Sawyer 1971, 1).
Though raiding may have begun slightly earlier (Sawyer
1978, 114-15), there is no reliable evidence for earlier
settlement in the Western or Northern Isles (Wilson 1976,
99-103; Crawford 1981; Graham-Campbell 1980, 5-7;
contra O'Corrain 1972, 81). The date given for the termination
of the Viking Age is more varied - a mid-eleventh century
date being most common. In some areas, however, Scandinavian
influence continued to be extremely important much later
and parts of modern Scotland, including the Hebrides, Orkney
and Shetland, owed political allegiance to the Norwegian
crown until well into the Medieval period. Nevertheless
the character of this later contact is somewhat different
from the earlier period (Wilson 1971, 112). For the purposes
of the present work a date of c. 1100 A.D. is taken for
reasons which I shall explain in the next chapter. This
date can be justified on historical grounds for in 1098
King Magnus of Norway campaigned in the Hebrides and Irish
Sea, and the Scottish king, Edgar, formally ceded all the
islands off the west coast of Scotland to the Norwegian
king (Duncan 1975, 127).
The selection of the pottery of the Hebrides for
study was influenced by a number of factors. These factors
included: the knowledge that there were substantial
quantities of pottery in a stratified and dated sequence
from one site - the Udal, North 131st; the belief that if
definitive traits for each major phase at the site could
be defined, then similar material might be recognised at
other sites, either from excavations or from surface
-4-
collections; the hope that this might contribute to an
understanding of the historical problems of the area, or
at least to begin to define Dark-age material culture in
one area; and the hope that other sites might be recognised
as being of this period, on the evidence of old finds or
new survey work, and thus assist in the selection of
sites for future investigation.
The selection of pottery as the object for study was
based on its frequency and availability rather than any a
priori belief that pottery, as opposed to other material
items, was the best cultural indicator and in spite of
suggestions that coarse pottery is not culturally sensitive.
Ideally, the whole range of material culture of an area
would be studied in conjunction, but as the archaeological
study of this period in the Hebrides is still in its
infancy each artefact class may need individual study. It
will be through the synthesis of these studies in conjunction
with site, structural, economic, environmental and social
studies that real historical enlightenment will come. Such
synthesis is beyond the scope of a study like this. Nevertheless,
conclusions can be reached about the pottery and these
conclusions will contribute to the fuller regional synthesis
when that can be undertaken. Interpretation of the pottery
will probably be modified by that synthesis in the dialectical
manner characteristic of archaeological studies in general
(van der Leeuw 1976, 19-107).
It should perhaps be stressed that the Hebrides are
very unusual in terms of Scottish archaeology in the quantity
of pottery recovered from sites later in date than the