The Birsay Bay Project: Volume 3 The Brough of Birsay, Orkney Investigations 19542014,Used

The Brough of Birsay was the powercenter of the Viking earldom of Orkney and is one of Historic Environment Scotlands key monuments and visitor attractions on the islands. This publication is the culmination of 60 years of investigations that took place on the site between 1954 and 2014.This new volume incorporates comprehensive accounts of work undertaken by Dr Ralegh Radford and Mr Stewart Cruden between 1954 and 1964, excavations by the Viking and Early Settlement Research Project under the direction of the author on site between 1974 and 1981, a rescue excavation in 1993, a geophysical survey in 2007 and archival research up to 2014.Specialist artifactual and palaeobiological studies of metallurgical material, ogham inscriptions and a giltbronze mount of Insular origin are included, together with reanalysis of the radiocarbon dates from all sites in Birsay Bay, and a reassessment of the architecture and dating of the church and related buildings on the Brough itself.The final two chapters put the Brough, as both a Pictish powercenter and the hub of the Viking earldom, in the overall context of Birsay Bay and Viking and late Norse Orkney, and the wider world between the Pictish and late Norse/Medieval periods.As well as being the authors third and final volume reporting on work for the Birsay Bay Project, this volume completes a trilogy of studies of the Brough itself, alongside Mrs Cecil Curles and Prof John Hunters earlier monographs.Table of ContentsList of illustrationsList of tablesPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I. Background and context for investigations 194620141. Background by Christopher D Morris2. The Birsay Bay Project and the Brough of Birsay by Christopher D MorrisPart II. Area I: The church and churchyard3. Historical background to the 1950s1960s investigations at the church, associated buildings and churchyard on the Brough of Birsay by C A Ralegh Radford4. Investigations by Ralegh Radford and Stewart Cruden on the church compiled by Christopher D Morris5. Investigations by Ralegh Radford and Stewart Cruden on the buildings north of the church compiled by Christopher D Morris6. An architectural analysis of the church and related buildings on the Brough of Birsay by Richard Fawcett7. The graves, churchyard enclosures and notable stone monuments compiled by Christopher D Morris8. Reassessment of the Celtic Enclosure in 1981 by Christopher D MorrisPart III. Area II: The buildings east of the churchyard9. Investigations by Radford and Cruden on the area to the east of the churchyard (The Viking House) and excavations in Room 5 of the Small buildings in 1973/410. Explorations in 1993 on the cliffside to the southeast of the churchyard by Christopher D MorrisPart IV. Area III: The buildings west of the churchyard11. Investigations by Radford and Cruden on the buildings to the southwest of the churchyard by Christopher D Morris12. Area excavations 197480 in and around Structure N by Christopher D Morris13. Area excavations in 19745 in and around Structure L and trial excavations in 1977 on features around Structure M by Christopher D Morris14. Area excavations in 197680 in and around Structure E to the west of the churchyardby Christopher D Morris15. Area excavations in 197781 in and around Structures S and B to the west and northwest of the churchyard and reassessment of the dating of Structures F, P and R to the north16. Specialist studies relating to Area IIIPart V. The southwestern cliffside area17. Survey and trial investigations 1979 and reassessment of the dating of Sites VIII and IXby Christopher D Morris18. Investigations on the Peerie Brough 197981 by Christopher D MorrisPart VI. Economy, landscape and analysis19. The artefactual assemblage by Colleen E Batey20. The biological assemblage by Christopher D Morris based on work by D James Rackham with others21. Geophysical prospection 2007 on the Brough of Birsay by Susan Ovenden an