Record
Spear and shield (fragments)
from Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland
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This spear and shield, both of iron and wood were found in a Viking boy's burial at Balnakeil near Durness in Sutherland in 1991. He was buried with adult weapons and various objects on a bedding of feathers and straw, sometime between 850 and 900.
The long, narrow iron spearhead survives in three pieces, together with three wooden fragments from the wooden shaft. The complete spear was a light throwing spear of a type found in Scandinavia and the British Isles.
The shield boss was fairly well preserved, but only fragments of the wooden shield survived. The wood from Viking shields rarely survives, but pictures on Scandinavian coins and runestones show large and small round shields.
Record details
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- Online ID: 000-000-099-779-C
- Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
- Project:
Kiloran Bay Viking Burial (multimedia essay)
Project description View all records in project - Ref: National Museums Scotland
- Date: Between 850 and 900
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- References:
- Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, pp 140-2.
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