Scar boat burial facts for kids
The Scar boat burial is a special Viking burial site. It is found near the village of Scar, on the island of Sanday, in Orkney, Scotland. This burial dates back to between 875 and 950 AD. Inside, archaeologists found the remains of a man, an older woman, and a child. They also found many valuable items buried with them. This site was dug up quickly because bad weather was causing the coast to wear away. Even so, many important discoveries were made here.
How the Site Was Found
The Scar boat burial site is located at The Crook Beach. A farmer named John Dearness found it in 1985. He saw bones sticking out of the ground. He also found a small lead object. John thought he might have found a dead sailor's resting place. Sadly, he passed away before people knew how important his discovery was.
In 1991, an archaeologist named Julie Gibson visited Sanday. She had heard about the bones found six years earlier. Someone showed her the small lead object. She took it to Kirkwall to find out what it was. It turned out to be a lead weight used for measuring valuable metals. After this, Julie Gibson and Dr. Raymond Lamb looked into the site more closely.
The archaeologists quickly realized how important the site was. It was also exposed to the weather and wearing away fast. Historic Scotland put together a team to dig up the site. Magnar Dalland led this team. The excavation happened in November and December of 1991.
What Was Found Inside the Boat
The boat itself was about 6.5 meters (21 feet) long and 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide. The wood of the boat had rotted away over time. But more than 300 iron rivets were left behind. These rivets once held the boat together. The boat was placed inside a stone-lined area shaped like a boat. This area was filled with more stones.
Inside the boat, there was a stone wall. Within this wall, archaeologists found the remains of three bodies. They were a man, a woman, and a child. Many grave goods were also found with them. The sand inside the boat was different from sand found in Orkney or Scotland. This suggests the boat and the people might have come from Norway or another country.
The man was about 30 years old when he died. The woman was about 70 years old. The child was about 10 or 11 years old. We do not know if the child was a boy or a girl. Scientists found clues that the man had rowed a boat when he was younger. The woman often sat with her legs crossed. She might have also spun flax into thread.
Many items were buried with the people. Next to the man, they found a sword, a quiver with arrows, a bone comb, and gaming pieces. Near the woman, they discovered a special whalebone plaque. This plaque is now famous as the Scar Dragon Plaque. A shiny, gilded brooch was also found with her. Other items found near the woman included a comb, shears, a sickle, and two spindle whorls. No one knows how any of the three people died.
In 2010, the Scar Dragon Plaque was shown for a short time at the Jorvik Viking Centre in York.
Images for kids
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A gilded brooch found at the burial
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