are otherwise characteristic of the wider Viking world (cf. Graham-Campbell 1995 ;
Hårdh 1996 ). The burial rite has its closest parallels in Norway (and Scandinavian
burials in Ireland) and many of the grave goods were probably manufactured in
Scandinavia. Some of the men buried in these graves also had a highly marine diet, a
characteristic of Norway rather than Scotland prior to the Viking Age (Barrett and
Richards 2004 and references therein). Unlike the settlement evidence, these graves and
hoards differ less between the Northern Isles, the Western Isles and Argyll. Neverthe-
less, they do continue to show some regional diversity (e.g. Bornholdt-Collins 2003 ).
Thus far, the evidence of the late place names, the tenth–twelfth-century settlements,
the tenth–eleventh-century hoards and the ninth–tenth-century pagan graves could all
be read as indicative of a society that was predominately or entirely based on the use
of Norse language and material culture – despite regional variability and considerable
indigenous ancestry as implied by genetic research. However, interpretation becomes
Figure 30. 3 Distribution of Scottish Viking Age burials including grave goods.
(T. Simpson after Graham-Campbell and Batey 1998 : fig. 7. 1 ).–– chapter 30 : The Norse in Scotland––