ABSTRACT
This volume has presented the results of a small research project undertaken between 1999 and 2004 with the aim of revisiting the archaeology at St Ninian s Isle through a study of the archive material from the 1950s excavations, and renewed survey and excavation work on the Isle over two summer seasons (1999 and 2000). It is enriched by the addition of Forsyth's analysis of the ogham inscription in Chapter 2, and the various specialists' reports on the artefactual, environmental and dating material from the site. Given the complicated nature of the remains excavated on the Isle, and the fragmented way that the site has been excavated and published, it was felt that a wider discussion was needed to bring out the most salient points for future research. The results have thrown up several issues relating to the archaeology on St Ninian's Isle, which can now be discussed against a more substantial background of evidence. It is hoped that this discussion will bring to the fore the more interesting preliminary conclusions that may otherwise remain buried within the density of the excavation and archive reports, so that they may be used by others to further debate on the many aspects of material culture and belief relevant to the interpretation of the archaeology at St Ninian's Isle, and the wider implications for Shetland in the Late Iron Age and Norse periods.
