An unexpected discovery during a summer excavation on the Orkney island of Rousay has fascinated archaeologists—a carved sandstone head, possibly more than 900 years old, was unearthed at the site of Skaill Farm, surprising the excavation team with its quality of craftsmanship and mysterious origins.
The find was made by a student from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Archaeology Institute, Katie Joss, who was investigating the foundations of a large medieval wall.
The artifact is very detailed. The hair on the head features elegant curls, closed eyes, a slight smile, and eyebrows, creating a serene and realistic expression. The nose, however, is broken—a fact that has prompted questions. Was the damage done unintentionally, or was it iconoclasm, a deliberate defacement of what had once been a revered object?
Dr. Sarah Jane Gibbon, co-director of the Skaill archaeological dig, talked of her amazement at the find. “This is such an exciting find. Over the years of excavating at Skaill and The Wirk – the nearby hall tower – we have found several interesting, molded pieces of red sandstone, but nothing like this,” she said. “The head is carved from red sandstone with yellow inclusions, likely quarried from the island of Eday, similar to the molded fragments found at the nearby St Mary’s old parish church.”
According to the archaeologists, the carving appears to have been meant to be seen from the front, at a slight angle in order to show the front part of the top of the head. “We have found parallels for our other red sandstone finds in St Magnus Cathedral, in Kirkwall, but I couldn’t find anything closely comparable to this. The eyes are similar to carvings dating from the earlier phases of cathedral construction, but I could find no comparison for the serene expression,” Dr. Gibbon said.
Intriguingly, the curl of hair in the cathedral carving is on the left, but the curl of the Skaill head is on the right, as if a mirror image!
Although the site at Skaill Farm itself is largely 18th century, it stands directly above what was once the Norse settlement of Sigurd of Westness, a prominent Viking chieftain from the 12th century and a close friend of Earl Rognvald, the earl who had St Magnus Cathedral built.
And as for the head itself, it remains nameless but is not without purpose. It is now being preserved along with other artifacts from the Skaill excavation, and specialists plan to have it cleaned up and put on public exhibit in the future.
More information: Archaeology Orkney
For all that it’s a bit stylised it’s also well observed. The sculptor wasn’t just some amateur. It makes me think (in a good way) of a high end garden gnome.