This thesis is an examination of the evidence for
Dark-age and Viking-age pottery in the Hebrides. A
brief discussion of current knowledge of Hebridean ceramics
shows how unusually ceramic-rich this area is in comparison
with the rest of Scotland and much of the British Isles.
But the Dark Age and Viking Age in the Hebrides and the
pottery of those periods are very poorly known. The
excavation of one major settlement site, the TJdal on
North Uist, by I.A. Crawford, has allowed examination of
stratified pottery groups of the period from c. 400 AD.
to c. 1100 A.D. The stratigraphy, structures and chronology
of this site are described briefly. The problems and
methods involved in analysing a large handmade pottery
assemblage are discussed in some detail. The stratified
pottery from the Udal is described and the characteristic
features of both Dark-age and Viking-age pottery assemblages
are defined. Pottery from other sites in the Hebrides is
then discussed and a series of sites with similar Dark-age
pottery is listed. No close parallels have been found
for this pottery outside the area. The Hebridean sites
with Viking-age pottery are then described and pottery
from other areas is examined in order to define the
geographic range of this style. Close similarities can
be seen with Souterrain Ware assemblages in northern
Ireland and possibly with assemblages in the Faroes.
This evidence suggests that the Dark-age
style developed from the local Iron-age ceramics.
The Viking-age style may indicate influence from Ireland
and the interaction of Norse and native peoples in
Scotland or Ireland. Further research, systematic
fieldwork and excavation are now required to examine
these hypotheses