Bradford University Orkney island finds include belt buckle

The discoveries at Rousay, Orkney suggest long-term crafting and industry at the site, as well as the re-using of Roman metals.

Among the items excavated during annual preservation work at the Swandro site were a brass belt buckle, made with an alloy containing Roman-era zinc and the first of its kind found in the Orkney archipelago.

An Iron Age belt buckle, the first of its kind found in the Orkney archipelago (Image: Supplied)

Another find was a whalebone comb thought to be around 2,000 years old.

Fashioned into the shape of a fish, it provides a snapshot into the lives of early inhabitants of Rousay.

The comb hints at a local bone-working industry, whereby such items were fashioned into everyday tools.

The uncovered whalebone comb, which may have been used to work textiles (Image: Supplied)

Dr Steve Dockrill, co-director of the excavation with Dr Julie Bond of the University of Bradford, said: "The site is rich in cultural material and evidence for the use of land and sea in terms of agriculture and fishing.

"This site is being destroyed by the sea.

"Over a third of the roundhouse has been lost to coastal erosion.

"Despite this we are uncovering new evidence for life in the Iron Age and are using the latest technology to record the archaeological evidence before it vanishes."

Dr Fraser Hunter, Iron Age and Roman curator at the National Museum of Scotland, and an alumnus of Bradford University, said: "The little bronze belt hook is a really unusual find – the first one known from Orkney.

"People didn’t use belt buckles in the Iron Age.

"Instead, hooks like these were fastened to one end of a belt and hooked into a hole at the other end.

"It’s a type best known from eastern and central Scotland, and suggests contacts to these areas.

"Analysis shows that it’s made from recycled Roman metal – imported Roman objects would often be melted down and reused once they broke.

"The other really nice find, the bone comb, is a local habit – combs like these are known from other Orkney sites.

"They were probably used in textile-working, most likely in weaving."

The Bradford University team's annual expeditions to Orkney include current Archaeology students, providing them with valuable hands-on experience.

The university's team recently won Current Archaeology magazine’s Rescue Project of the Year award.

Its excavation efforts are made in partnership with Swandro Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust and Historic Environment Scotland.

The excavation can be tracked at swandro.co.uk.

Places to study Archaeology at the University of Bradford are available through Clearing.