Burnt bones from Dùn Bhoraraic, Isle of Islay

untangling Hebridean ‘U’ structures, Viking graves and Iron Age mortuary theatre

Abstract

In terms of its material record, the Inner Hebridean island of Islay is best known for its ancient fortifications and its Viking graves. Both types of site can be seen as important markers in early landscapes of power and control. The remains of the broch on the summit of Dùn Bhoraraic, for instance, overlooks the important early harbours in the Sound of Islay and Lochindaal, while the pagan Scandinavian grave field at Ballinaby in the Rhinns commands sweeping views across Loch Gorm, and out over the Atlantic. At present, however, they diverge in at least one significant respect. Whereas Islay’s ancient fortifications are encountered island-wide, her confirmed Viking graves are restricted to just two discrete locations: Ballinaby, and Newton Cottage, with only a few other sites suspected. The Dùn Bhoraraic Project, on which this article is based, set out to explore the possibility of connections between these two groups of data, with a view to modelling accessible locations for further Viking burials. The point of departure was the mysterious stone setting on the slopes of Dùn Bhoraraic in the Dunlossit Estate believed locally to be the remains of a Viking grave. Following review of its geo-spatial and cultural context, including the localised Old Norse namescape, funding was secured from the Society to undertake a visual investigation and excavation of the site. While similarities were noted with the Hebridean ‘U’ structures discussed by Leslie Alcock in 1983, the discovery of a cremation burial without culturally diagnostic artefacts prompted comparison with a range of Viking Age graves. In the end, radiocarbon dating traced the cremated bones to the final centuries BC – a conclusion which was unexpected but served to confirm the prestigious connotations of the location, and the general validity of the approach. It also offered a rare and valuable window onto the mortuary practices of the Atlantic Iron Age in the Inner Hebrides.