Evidence first
Each record has a named primary source, related reading and an evidence-status note. Links lead to the online item, not an unsourced retelling.
Shetland, 59.8–60.9° north
Trace a Norse past through the surviving evidence.
Explore documented sites, research projects and studies. Every entry links to a verifiable online source and states where interpretation needs care.
62 records
57 mapped places
37 bólstaðr names
105 checked sources
Search works on its own: matching records and places appear in the catalogue and on the map. Use Subject or Record kind when you want to browse or compare groups.
Interactive map
Evidence across Shetland
Search for a place, object or period, or choose a Subject or Record kind. Each method filters both the catalogue and map. Place-names & language includes the mapped bólstaðr names.
SitesSaga placesFindsPlace-names
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Coordinates are qualified in each record. The KML download follows the active search and filters.
Catalogue
All records
53 results
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6 verified updates
News & Finds
Recent Shetland-specific discoveries, fieldwork and research updates, linked to the original institutional report or responsible local coverage. A report’s appearance here does not make its archaeological interpretation final.
Last checked 30 September 2026
6 updates
Newest first
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105 checked links
Source library
Primary catalogues, peer-reviewed publications, datasets and trusted institutional resources underpin the atlas. Each source shows the records that use it; broader discovery resources are labelled separately.
Transparent by design
How to read this atlas
This is a research guide, not a claim that every trace of medieval Shetland is straightforwardly “Viking”.
Periods stay qualified
Sites can contain Iron Age, Viking, Norse and later phases. Catalogue wording separates the relevant phase from the history of the whole place.
Coordinates are traceable
Mapped points come from public heritage records or published grid references. The coordinate-status field records that provenance.
Genetics has limits
Population-genetic studies concern modern samples and statistical ancestry. They are contextual evidence, not archaeological proof or cultural labels.
Editorial standard
Sources are included only when the online record can be checked. Summaries are paraphrased, rights notes are retained, and contested interpretation is labelled rather than flattened.
Open the working research database ↗