ABSTRACT
This chapter explores change within Viking-period (c. 800–1050 CE) burials of the Hebrides in Scotland. Scholarship has long noted the abrupt change in burial traditions in the region in the 9th century CE, with the sudden appearance of Scandinavian-style graves, triggered by Norse speakers arriving in the region. Using a methodology that combines select artefact types found in graves along with landscape analyses, this chapter examines change within the Viking-period graves and their maritime landscape settings. The chapter argues that there are multiple internal changes found. Firstly, the presence of insular (Irish) artefacts in the 9th century CE likely represents Norse migrants raiding and trading in Ireland. Secondly, Hiberno-Norse artefacts replace Irish artefacts in graves dated to 875–925 AD, and represent a change in elite identity. The chapter argues that these changes mirror changes in the greater Scandinavian world, and it appears that Viking-period burial traditions are not influenced by native pre-Norse traditions.
