SKAILL FARM, SCOTLAND—As an archaeology student from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) was excavating the foundations of a large medieval wall on Rousay Island in the Orkneys, suddenly an unusual stone shaped like a human head detached and fell from the structure. BBC News reports that the intricately carved red sandstone sculpture is unlike any other object that has ever been found at the site, which has been under investigation by the university for the past 10 years. The site of Skaill Farm, where the discovery was made, dates to the eighteenth century, but sits directly atop an old Norse settlement built by the twelfth-century Viking chieftain Sigurd of Westness. The carved face likely dates to that era, as it shares similarities to sculpted blocks found in St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, which was built by Sigurd’s friend Earl Rognvald. The decorative architectural element likely adorned a large building belonging to the powerful Viking ruler and was subsequently incorporated into the walls of a later structure. “We think we are standing on the hall that Sigurd built and lived in, which then became a late-medieval farmstead,” said UHI archaeologist Dan Lee. “We think this was a real seat of power in that period.” To read more about the Viking hall unearthed at Skaill, go to "Skoal!"
