Ancient Scar Dragon Plaque And The Viking Boat To The Otherworld

AncientPages.com - In 1985, while walking along the long sandy shore at Scar on the north-western coast of the island of Sanday, a local farmer, the late John Dearness, discovered several bones and a small lead object lying nearby.

However, at the time of the discovery, he had no clue what it was.

The artifact testifies to the skills of the unknown Viking craftsman, who made it. Credits: Orkney Museum, Kirkwall.

The discovery that came to light after a furious storm passed through the area only a few days earlier became one of Orkney's most important archaeological finds of the 20th.

Later, the small artifact was recognized as a decorated whalebone plaque - now known as the Scar Dragon Plaque, a lead bullion weight once used by Norse traders to weigh gold and silver on a balance scale. The plaque proved to be the key to a 1,100-year-old mystery.

A team of archaeologists arriving in Sanday unearthed a Viking boat burial at the site.

Although all wood of the boat had rotted away, the marks left in the sand by over 300 rusted iron rivets marked out the shape of the vessel that had carried its occupants to the Viking otherworld.

The 6.5 meter-long boat had been a wooden, plank-built, oared rowing boat of a type known as a faering, but by the time of the excavation, one side had already been washed away by the fierce tides.

The boat was buried in a stone-lined pit, and the vessel had been packed securely into position with stones. A stone wall had been built across the boat's interior, forming a chamber of sorts, and in this were the remains of three people - a man, a woman, and a child.

Alongside the human remains, archaeologists found grave goods that were included to accompany the deceased into the afterlife.

Among the artifacts was a gilded brooch, an iron sword, a quiver containing eight arrows, bone combs, a set of 22 gaming pieces, a weaving blade, shears, two spindle whorls, and the Scar Plaque-  approximately A4 in size - with the heads of the dragons.

Based on these artifacts and later radio-carbon dating, the grave was dated between 875 AD and 950 AD.

The Viking boat burial finds are displayed at the Orkney Museum, Kirkwall.

AncientPages.com