A RACE AGAINST TIME AND TIDE
An international team, led by archaeologists from the University of Bradford, are racing against time and tide to excavate the multi-period settlement and probable chambered tomb, at the Knowe of Swandro in Rousay, which is being destroyed by coastal erosion.
Only once the protective covering has been removed from the site each year can the team begin to assess the damage done by the sea over the winter months.
The 2024 excavation will concentrate on the massive Early Iron Age roundhouse, 20 metres in diameter, which radiocarbon dating shows was built between the 8th and 4th centuries BC, which was repeatedly modified and remained in use throughout the next millennium.
Geophysical surveys, conducted in 2019, by Dr Chris Gaffney of the University of Bradford and Time Team fame, suggest that it was surrounded by a substantial ditch, similar to that which may be seen at the nearby Midhowe Broch.
This roundhouse was at the centre of an important site, with evidence of skilled metalworking, using both copper and iron, and high-status imports, such as Roman glass.
Two extremely rare Iron Age glass toggle beads, found in 2022, may have been manufactured at Swandro using recycled Roman glass.
In addition to the usual domestic animals — cattle, sheep and pigs — the Iron Age inhabitants also kept horses, unusual in this period in the Northern Isles, and another status symbol.
The Swandro roundhouse was modified over the centuries, with interior subdivisions and further buildings added against the outside walls, creating a much larger settlement, which continued in use into the Pictish period.
The site was subsequently taken over by the Vikings, and finally a Norse long hall was constructed against the edge of the original settlement mound, using stone taken from the earlier buildings. This long hall was excavated in the 1960s, and the walls are still partly visible on site.
Star find of the 2023 excavation was an Iron Age steatite (soapstone) cup or lamp, examples of which have been found at other Iron Age sites in Scotland, but the Swandro example is particularly fine. The largest find of the excavation was a whale vertebra, one of a pair which were set either side of the hearth in a subdivision of the roundhouse, and would have held the uprights to support a spit over the fire.
Swandro is just a short walk around the bay from the rich Pictish and Viking burial ground at Moaness, found by chance in 1963, by a farmer burying a dead cow.
The spectacular finds from this cemetery included the Westness brooch (on display in the National Museums Scotland) and over 45 burials, including two boat burials containing Viking warriors with weapons and shields, who appeared to have been killed in battle.
It seems likely that the wealthy people buried at this cemetery lived at the buildings now being uncovered at the Knowe of Swandro.
Visitors to the dig are very welcome, with free on-demand site tours, no need to book. We are open from the end of June to early August, please check our website for details and instructions on how to find us: www.swandro.co.uk
The excavation at Swandro is supported by our registered charity the Swandro-orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust, from public donations and grants (acknowledged on our website).
We are also grateful for support from the University of Bradford, Historic Environment Scotland, the Orkney Islands Council and the Orkney Archaeology Society.