OLD SCATNESS
Take time to
visit Old Scatness Broch, where an unfolding archaeological dig is
revealing one of Britain's most exciting Iron Age villages, with many
buildings standing at or near roof height and some still even 'decorated'
with yellow clay!
Buried to roof height for nearly 2,000 years under metres of sand and
soil, the site is rich in artefacts and has remarkable preservation
allowing a unique opportunity to better understand the past. On-site
interpretation, guides and Living History demonstrations of ancient
crafts/skills during July/August each year help to illustrate how our
earlier ancestors lived.
JARLSHOF
Officially
described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever
excavated in the British Isles", Jarlshof came to light a hundred years
ago when violent storms exposed massive stonework under a grassy mound
above the beach at the West Voe of Sumburgh. There are six main levels,
from a Stone Age but perhaps 4,000 years old, through an Iron Age broch
and wheelhouses to a sizeable Viking village and medieval farmstead.
As at Old Scatness, less than a mile away, successive layers were
buried by wind-blown sand, preserving artefacts now on show in the visitor
centre at the site, next to the Sumburgh Hotel.
