The Udal, North Uist
image: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Excavations originally carried out by Iain Crawford revealed a long history of settlement from the village that was destroyed by sandblows in the 1690’s back to prehistory.
In the early nineth century what appears to have been a Viking fortification was discovered at the north-eastern end of the site. There were no buildings with the enclosure, but outside the fort were Viking period turf-built houses.
These Viking buildings overlay five ‘figure of eight’ or ‘ventral’ houses – a type found at Buckquoy, Orkney. These buildings dated from AD 300/400 down to the arrival of the Vikings c. AD 800.
See also: AD 800 – Vikings invade the Udal
A Viking Age Bone Comb
image: Current Archaeology