02 October 2020, Starts: 19:30

The Viking Age on Skye: artefacts, place-names, and landscape

Talk by Joseph Thomas Ryder (University of Bergen)

Despite place-name and historical sources that suggest intense Norse colonization during the Viking Age (AD 790-1087) and Late Norse (AD 1087-1266) periods, archaeological evidence of the Viking Age on Skye has been scant. It is possible, however, with the limited evidence that we have, to discuss Viking Age activity on Skye, such as possible centres of power, and its importance on the sea-route between the Northern Isles and the Irish Sea. Using a methodology that includes artefacts, landscape, and place-names, I will place Skye in its greater Norse context.

Joseph Thomas Ryder is a Ph.D Candidate at the University of Bergen. His thesis researches the Norse landscape of Skye and the Western Isles.

Part of Highland Archaeology Festival of Talks. Book via EventBrite website. Further details on Highland Archaeology Festival website.