Carved stone head from Skaill farm dig was an unexpected but spectacular find

A carved stone head was the last thing diggers at the UHI Archaeology Institute excavation at Skaill farm, Rousay, were expecting to unearth. But that’s exactly what happened!

The carving looks as though it was meant to be seen from the front, at a slight angle to show the front part of the top of the head, which has beautifully carved locks of hair. The eyes appear closed, as there is nothing to indicate pupils, and the slight smile and asymmetric eyebrows express real character.

Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon, one of the excavation co-directors, explained:

“This is such an exciting find. Over the years excavating at Skaill and The Wirk – the nearby hall tower – we have found several interesting, moulded pieces of red sandstone but nothing like this!

“The rich, red sandstone, with yellow inclusions, was likely quarried from the island of Eday and is the same as the moulded fragments from the nearby St Mary’s old parish church.

“For now, the Skaill head must remain a fascinating enigma in terms of date, origin and use, but its discovery, along with many other fine pieces of carved red sandstone, as well as those built into the nearby kirk, strongly suggests a building of some splendour once stood in the vicinity.”

Dr Gibbon will continue researching the artefact, including similar examples incorporated into Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral.

UHI Archaeology Institute undergraduate student Katie Joss with the Skaill carved head (Picture: UHI Archaeology Institute)