18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Shetland Discoveries Seem Close to Uncovering Ancient Viking Capital

Important discoveries were made on the last day of excavations to find the ancient Viking capital of Shetland, through the efforts of Kristian Leith.

Archaeological finds seem to approach close to uncovering the ancient Viking capital of Shetland.

Last year, 26 human bones, several structures presumed to be from the Pictish era, and a variety of ancient items such as a comb and painted stones were discovered in Kristian Leith’s garden at Upper Scalloway after he started digging for a shed.

It was action has been taken by the finding of structures and human remains in the region during the construction of dwellings in 1990. In order to determine whether there was more to be discovered in the region, Leith brought Orkney archaeological firm ORCA to conduct geophysical studies in the neighboring property between the Mill Brae road and his Upper Scalloway residence.

With traditional funding options limited, Leith launched a crowdfunding campaign with a £19,425 goal to pay for ORCA to do excavation on the piece of land. More than 319 people have donated, increasing the total to moreover £19,700.

Red sandstone whetstone.
Red sandstone whetstone.

While the formal study from ORCA has yet to be released, Mr. Leith claims the discovery proves the settlement is at least 4,000 square meters in size – significantly larger than previously imagined.

Mr. Leigh said the structure found was of “great importance” as it was not disturbed by later medieval tombs or modern dwellings, according to the Shetland Times.

And as the excavations only clipped a small section of the structure, Mr. Leith said there was an awful lot more left undisturbed to investigate further.

He pointed to the discovery of two red sandstone whetstones, which he said were similar to discoveries found during an excavation in 1990, and which indicate that they date back to 750-1000AD, the Viking period.

“Slowly but surely the story here is unveiling itself and we are getting closer to proving this is indeed the Skailvoigh settlement – the Viking capital of Shetland,” Mr. Leith said. 

The fundraiser is still open.

Related Articles

New Discoveries of Sanxingdui Ancient City to be Announced

19 March 2021

19 March 2021

Sanxingdui, which literally means “Stacks of Three Stars”, is a cultural relic of the Kingdom of Shu in ancient China....

Treasure Hunter Claims to Find First Council of Nicaea’s Location, Demands $50 Million for Discovery

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a startling revelation, Mustafa Uysal, a treasure hunter from Bursa, has claimed to have unearthed an underground city in...

A first in 35 years! Child grave with bracelets and gifts found in ancient city of Kelenderis

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Kelenderis, founded on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of...

New Insights From Researchers About The World’s Longest Aqueduct

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

The Roman Empire’s aqueducts are magnificent specimens of the art of architecture. Although centuries have passed since these aqueducts were...

A new study provides evidence that modern humans, coexisted in the same region with Neanderthals for thousands of years

11 February 2024

11 February 2024

A genetic analysis of bone fragments excavated from an archaeological site in Ranis, Germany provides conclusive evidence that modern humans...

Multiple Burials found at Çatalhöyük

17 September 2021

17 September 2021

Multiple burials were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the house on the eastern mound of the Neolithic settlement Çatalhöyük....

1400-Year-Old Folding Chair Found in a Woman’s Grave in Germany

30 August 2022

30 August 2022

In Steinsfeld, in the German state of Ansbach, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,400-year-old folding chair from an early medieval woman’s...

Scotland’s oldest tartan discovered in Highlands bog

1 April 2023

1 April 2023

According to new research, a piece of fabric discovered in a bog in the Scottish Highlands may be the oldest...

A submerged stone bridge constructed 5600 years ago shed light on the human colonization of the western Mediterranean

31 August 2024

31 August 2024

An interdisciplinary research team, led by University of South Florida (USF) geology Professor Bogdan Onac, has examined an ancient submerged...

“Non-returning” Aboriginal boomerangs were discovered in Cooper Creek dried-up riverbed

22 November 2021

22 November 2021

The drying waters of the Cooper Creek river have revealed extremely rare 4 boomerangs that have been partially buried. The...

Statue heads of “Aphrodite” and “Dionysus” were found in Aizanoi Ancient City in Turkey’s

30 October 2021

30 October 2021

The statue heads of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, and Dionysus, the god of wine, were unearthed in...

Human blood proteins were found in the red paint on a 1,000-year-old gold mask from Peru

27 October 2021

27 October 2021

Traces of human blood have been discovered in the red paint that decorated a gold mask found on the remains...

“Nikasitimos Was Here Mounting Timiona,” 2,500-year-old erotic graffiti on Astypalaia, Greece

7 April 2024

7 April 2024

In 2014, an archaeologist working on Astypalaia, a remote Greek island of the Dodecanese discovered one of the world’s oldest...

3D Scans reveal details of ‘unusual’ Roman burial ritual

6 June 2023

6 June 2023

Archaeologists at the University of York, have used 3D scans to study the Roman burial practice of pouring liquid gypsum...

Turkey to Present 12 Historic Artifacts to Istanbul Patriarch

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

The government said on Monday that Turkey will deliver stolen icons from ancient local churches to Istanbul’s Fener Greek Patriarch...