Possible viking boat burial to be excavated in Shetland by Time Team
Time Team will lead an excavation on a suspected Viking boat burial site in Shetland this summer, working in collaboration with local archaeologists and heritage authorities.
The mound, located on private land, first drew attention in 2023 when Shetland County Archaeologist Dr Val Turner observed distinctive features during a routine survey for a housing development. Measuring approximately 22.5 metres, the site has remained undisturbed and has now been granted Scheduled Monument Consent by Historic Environment Scotland.
If confirmed, the find would join a small group of known Viking-era boat burials in the UK, which are often linked to individuals of high social standing. Such burials are considered archaeologically significant for what they can reveal about Norse settlement and belief systems during the early medieval period.
Time Team’s involvement follows contact from the landowners after the site was flagged. The group previously excavated a disturbed Viking burial in Shetland in 2002, also involving Dr Turner and Norse specialist Dr Colleen Batey, who will return for this project alongside Time Team regulars Dr John Gater, Matt Williams, and Jackie McKinley.
Dr Gater and Dr Nick Hannon from Historic Environment Scotland carried out separate surveys in 2023 and 2024, which strengthened the case for a full excavation. Work has since progressed in partnership with the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), which will join the dig team on-site.
As well as examining the mound itself, the team plans to survey the surrounding area to identify related archaeological features. A detailed metal detection and recording operation is also scheduled to secure the site and recover any surface artefacts.
Footage from the excavation is expected to form the basis of a new Time Team documentary to be released in 2026.