Monday 29 August 2011

From Raiders to Traders


Fetlar is fertile. This image of a croft at Tresta encapsulates the potential of the place. Fetlar is the fourth largest island in the Shetland group and was possibly the first to experience the Viking raiders. Some settled; some moved on, but not before a source of steatite or soapstone was discovered and exploited. This malleable stone could be shaped relatively easily and soon artefacts made from sources supplied by a working quarry were being traded. The speed of adaptation in the 8th & 9th Centuries is impressive - as is the way in which the Fetlar Interpretive Centre digitised its exhibits early in the 21st, including archaeological finds, to cater for an audience from anywhere at anytime.

Scottish Islands Explorer - destined to be digitised

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