Abstract:

The past two decades have seen a flurry of archaeological activity in the 'Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland'. These islands were well known for their association with the Vikings and particularly the Norse earls of Orkney. Quite unexpected has been the wealth of material that has been generated regarding the native 'Picts' so that they can no longer be regarded as a 'problem' (as so described in the 1950s). Of particular interest is the question of the interaction of the two groups and the models that have been put forward in the past now seem inadequate. A complex relationship of incomer and native is clearly to be seen from the archaeological record and simplistic models are no longer adequate.