Old Scatness is the most recent archaeological site on Shetland and is a stone’s through away from the runway of Sumburgh Airport. It comprises several epochs of Shetland history, namely Medieval, Viking, Pictish and iron Age, having been a settlement for thousands of years with each generation rebuilding. Excavations have uncovered a multi-period settlement with an Iron Age broch, wheelhouses, and later dwellings.
The site is managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust. Costumed guides provide tours of the site and the replica Iron Age and Pictish buildings. The visitor centre also includes exhibits, and there are demonstrations of ancient crafts.
It’s a must-see for amateur archaeologists and what's more there is a reconstruction with peat fire and working loom, great experience and fun for the kids.
Finds from this Iron Age time capsule have inspired the design and creation of a range of gift products available at the Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick.
Jarlshof has presented evidence of nearly 5,000 years of human activity on the one site whose dramatic location on a headland overlooking the West Voe of Sumburgh was revealed after a storm in the 1890s.
Archaeologists have since discovered its secrets in the...
Ness of Burgi is an intriguing Iron Age ruin. Situated on a narrow promontory, the site is dominated by a so-called ‘blockhouse fort’ – a rare type of monument of which there are only three confirmed examples, all in Shetland. The blockhouse is bordered on three...
Broch of Mousa (or Mousa Broch) is an exceptionally well preserved example of an Iron Age broch or round tower in not just Shetland or Scotland but Europe. It is built of dry stone with no mortar. At 13.3m high and accessible via a single entrance at ground level, a...