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Dark-Age and Viking-Age Pottery in the Hebrides

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Dark-Age and Viking-Age Pottery in the Hebrides DARK-AGE AND VIKING-AGE POTTERY IN THE HEBRIDES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE UDAL, NORTH UIST Alan Macrae Lane Ph.D. Universit y Colle ge, London 1983 11. ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of the evidence for Dark-age and Viking-age pottery in the Hebrides. A brief discussion of current knowledge of Hebridean ceramics shows how unusually ceramic-rich this area is in comparison with the rest of Scotland and much of the British Isles. But the Dark Age and Viking Age in the Hebrides and the pottery of those periods are very poorly known. The excavation of one major settlement site, the TJdal on North Uist, by l.A. Crawford, has allowed examination of stratified pottery groups of the period from c. 400 AD. to C. 1100 A.D. The stratigraphy, structures and chronology of this site are described briefly. The problems and methods involved in analysing a large handmade pottery assemblage are discussed in some detail. The stratified pottery from the tjdal is described and the characteristic features of both Dark-age and Viking-age pottery assemblages are defined. Pottery from other sites in the Hebrides is then discussed and a series of sites with similar Dark- age pottery is listed. No close parallels have been found for this pottery outside the area. The Hebridean sites with Viking-age pottery are then described and pottery from other areas is examined in order to define the geographic range of this style. Close similarities can be seen with Souterrain Ware assemblages in northern Ireland and possibly with assemblages in the Faroes. 111. This evidence suggests that the Dark-age style developed from the local Iron-age ceramics. The Viking-age style may indicate influence from Ireland and the interaction of Norse and native peoples in Scotland or Ireland. Further research, systematic fieldwork and excavation are now required to examine these hypotheses. iv. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title 1 Abstract 11 Table of Contents iv List of Figures vii List of Plates ix Acknowledgements x CHAPTER 1 The study of Hebridean Dark- 1 age and Viking-age pottery prior to 1975 CHAPTER 2 The Udal excavations 29 CHAPTER 3 Methods of analysis and 61 presentation used in the study of the TJdal pottery CHAPTER 4 Pottery quantities and the 125 fabrics present in the Udal assemblage CHAPTER 5 The Udal pottery from levels 144 XIV to XI CHAPTER 6 The Udal pottery from level X 170 CHAPTER 7 The Udal pottery from level IXc 187 CHAPTER 8 The Udal pottery from the 213 phase-group IXb-X CHAPTER 9 The construction techniques 231 used on the Udal pottery CHAPTER 10 The sequence of Dark-age 241 and Viking-age pottery at the Udal and its diagnostic features CHAPTER 11 Dark-age pottery from other sites 253 in the Hebrides and possible comparable groups elsewhere V. CHAPTER 12 Viking-age pottery from other 295 sites in the Hebrides and possible comparable groups elsewhere CHAPTER 13 The interpretation .of the Dark- 363 age and Viking-age ceramic sequence at the Udal and elsewhere in the Hebrides Volume 2 APPENDIX I Stage V Record: summaries of 396 the Udal North pottery assemblage 1.1 Pottery from levels XIV to XI 396 1.2 Pottery from level X 434 1.3 Pottery from level IXc 440 1.4 Pottery from phase-group 456 levels X to IXb 1.5 Pottery from unattributed 461 contexts in levels XIV to IXb APPENDIX II Catalogue of illustrated 474 pottery from the Udal 11.1 Pottery from levels XIV to XI 474 11.2 Pottery from level X 484 11.3 Pottery from level IXc 493 11.4 Pottery from phase-group levels X to IXb 513 11.5 Miscellaneous examples from 523 levels XV to IX vi. APPENDIX III Miscellaneous context lists 525 and reports on the Udal pottery 111.1 Report on the petrology of sherds 525 from the Udal by Dr D.F. Williams 111.2 The frequency of construction 527 marks on Dark-age pottery from the tidal 111.3 Context lists of intrusive sherds 528 in level XI to XIV (a) short everted rims (b) grassmarked bases (c) sagging bases 111.4 Context list of platter sherds 529 in levels XI to XIV APPENDIX IV Catalogue of illustrated and 530 referenced pottery from other sites IV.1 Finds from Dark-age sites 530 IV.2 Finds from Viking-age sites 544 IV.3 Finds from Irish sites 566 IV.4 Finds from the Faroes 578 APPENDIX V Site lists 579 V.1 Coastal erosion survey sites 579 V.2 List of sites examined with 580 negative results Bibliography 581 Figures 606 Plates 640 vii. LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Map of the British Isles 606 2. Map of the Hebrides and north-western 607 Scotland with islands mentioned in the text named. 3. Location map of the Udal on North Uist, 608 showing the position of the Udal North, Udal South and other sites. 4. Schematic representation of the Udal 609 stratigraphy, structural and dating evidence as at September 1976. 5. List of relevant radiocarbon dates from 610 the Udal with calibrated date ranges. 6. Diagram of pottery construction joins 611 and other analytical features. 7. Example of Stage IV record (front of sheet) 612 8. Example of Stage IV record (back of sheet) .613 9. The Udal pottery; numbers of sherds in 614 each stratigraphic group. 10. The Udal pottery: weight of sherds in 615 each stratigraphic group. 11. The Udal pottery: percentage frequency 616 of fabrics in each stratigraphic group. 12. The Udal pottery: diameters of fabric A 617 straight-sided vessels in Levels XIV to XI. 13. The Udal pottery: levels XIV-XI. 618 14. The Udal pottery: rim/body angle of Fabric 619 A straight-sided vessels in Levels XIV to XI. 15. The Udal pottery: (a) diameters of Fabric A 620 shouldered vessels in Levels XIV to XI. (b) diameters of Fabric A indeterminate vessel forms in Levels XIV to XI. viii. 16. The Udal pottery: rim angles of Fabric A 621 shouldered vessels in Levels XIV to XI. 17. The Udal pottery: base diameters of Fabric 622 A vessels in Levels XIV to XI. 18. The Udal pottery: Levels XIV-XI. 623 19. The Udal pottery: Level X. 624 20. The TJdal pottery: Level IXc. 625 21. The TJdal pottery: Level IXc. 626 22. The Udal pottery: Levels IXb - X (nos 1- 627 36); miscellaneous vessels (nos 37-40). 23. The TJdal pottery: a diagrammatic 628 illustration of the sections of a tongue- and-groove constructed vessel. 24. Pottery finds from probable Dark-age sites 629 in the Hebrides. 25. Pottery finds from probable Dark-age sites 630 in the Hebrides. 26. Map of sites in the Hebrides with Dark-age 632 handmade pottery. 27. Pottery finds from probable Viking-age sites 633 in the Hebrides. 28. Pottery from probable Viking-age sites in the 634 Hebrides (nos 1-6) and finds from various other sites (7-30). 29. Map of sites in the Hebrides with Viking-age 636 handmade pottery. 30. Pottery from the Faroes. 637 31. Pottery from Irish sites. 638 32. Pottery from Irish sites. 639 ix. LIST OF PLATES Page COLOUR PLATES la Udal North Iron-age vessel 640 b Unstratified Viking-age bowl 2a Level X cup with clear construction 641 joins b Level IXc platter (upper surface) 3a Level IXc platter fragment (upper 642 surface) b Level IXc platter fragment (lower surface) 4a Platter fragment with closely spaced 643 I I ngermarks b Platter fragment with finger pulled grooves 5a Platter fragment with t cracked' lower 644 surface b Platter fragment with grassmarks and gritmarks BLACK AND WHITE PLATES Ga Tongue-and-groove join at the top of 645 a vessel b Tongue-and-groove join in the middle of a vessel 7a Tongue-and-groove join at the base of a 646 vessel b Level XI - shouldered vessel 8a Level XII - bucket-shaped vessel 647 b Level XI - slightly shouldered vessel 9a Level IXc - small cup 648 b Unstratified Viking-age bowl 10 Level IXe - grassmarking on platter 649 (lower surface) x. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Particular thanks are due to lain Crawford whose excavations at the Udal provided the primary data for the study. Without his cooperation this thesis would not have been possible and his kind provision of working space was also of great assistance. My supervisor, James Graham-Campbell, provided much encouragement and critical comment throughout the duration of the work, and attempted to improve the coherence of my English. The remaining faults in fact and style are, of course, my own. The staffs of various museums aided and encouraged the work. These included: The National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh; the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow; the Glasgow Art Gallery & Museum; the Ulster Museum, Belfast; the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin; and the Truro Museum. Various individuals gave me access to finds and information. These included: Charles Thomas, Trevor Cowie, Coinneach Maclean, Ian Shepherd, Richard Reece, Joanna Close-Brooks, Leslie Alcock, Richard Warner, Richard Hodges, Robert Stevenson, Peter Gelling, Barbara Crawford, Derek Simpson, John Hunter, Chris Morris, Colleen Batey, John Hedges, John Barber, and Anna Ritchie. Specialist assistance was given by Ronnie McGill and David Williams. xi. Parts of the typescript were originally prepared by Joan Lane and Elsie Gollan. The final version was heroically typed by Sabina Thompson. The final drawings were completed by Howard Mason, and assistance with photographs was provided by Cap Sease, Andrew Gollan, and Dave Richards. Mary Braithwaite read and commented on the whole text and proof read the final version.
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