Head unearthed at Rousay dig branded ‘fascinating enigma’
A once-in-a-lifetime discovery has been made at a Rousay excavation — in the shape of human head carved from stone.
Diggers with the UHI Archaeology Institute made the unexpected find at Skaill farm.
Researchers will be studying similar items at St Magnus Cathedral, as they try to find out more about the artefact.
Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon, one of the excavation co-directors, said: “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!
Read about the “fascinating enigma” of the Skaill farm head in next week’s edition of The Orcadian.