The excavation of a rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland has been set out in detail for the first time.
The boat burial is the first found intact on the UK mainland [
Credit: Ardnamurchan Transitions Project]
Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat found in Ardnamurchan suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
In a report published by Antiquity, archaeologists describe the finds including a sword, spearhead and 213 of the boat's rivets.
The weapons indicate the burial of "a warrior of high status".
Archaeologists, including Dr Oliver Harris of the University of Leicester, first revealed the discovery at Swordle Bay in 2011.
Since then experts have been studying the burial site and its "rich assemblage of grave goods".
Among them were a single copper alloy ringed pin, thought to have been used to fasten a burial cloak or shroud, a broad bladed axe, a shield boss and whetstone made from rock found in Norway. Also found were mineralised remains of textiles and wood.
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