Every country and culture has its own unique history.  Shetland is no diffeent, only their history goes back further than most, into pre-history.  Today I had a wonderful walk through the past at Jarlshof on the southern tip of Shetland.  The first people to arrive here probably came over 5,000 years ago when the climate was warmer and there were landmasses that connected more of the isles and continents.

Jarlshof is a showcase of civilized development as it is revealed through the progression of a settlement that has been dated as far back as 3,500 year ago.  There are six definite settlements in the area.  One each from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Pictish era, the Norse era, then the Middle Ages. All within a short walking distance you can span several eras.  And because the area is so remote with so few travelers who might damage the settlements, you are allowed to go inside the later settlements.

The first settlement was that of a Stone Age home; containing a central fire and a midden (or a rubbish dump) that revealed what people of this time period ate.

The second settlement was that of a late Bronze Age smithy used some 2,800 years ago.

The third settlement is where there was once a large Iron Age roundhouse in the courtyard of a broch built around 2,000 years ago.  Several brochs have been discovered across Shetland.  They were fourteen feet tall, with three stories.  The bottom story was used for the animals, who needed protection from the weather, but who also helped to heat the house.  The next two floors were for the human inhabitants. 

The best-preserved settlement was that of the fourth--a wheelhouse-style broch was occupied by the Pictish people until the Norsemen arrived.

The fifth settlement revealed a Norse house, which may date from the early ninth century.

Finally, the last settlement was that of a medieval farmhouse that lay near the laird’s house from the seventeenth century.

All in all, it was a fascinating day that also included a bit of wildlife: seabirds and seals.

Tonight, I board an overnight ferry back to Aberdeen.  It’s a twelve hours crossing.  This time I am armed with seasickness pills, ginger, and seasickness wristbands.  I have learned I am not meant to be a seafarer.  This girl likes land.

Until tomorrow,

--Gerri