In Orkney Islands, storm uncovers remains of Picts and Vikings

Nature does things well. Struck by storms in recent months, the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, have revealed new human bones at the archaeological site of Newark and its surroundings. They would belong to a large cemetery used in the time of the Picts, ancient tribes living in Scotland in North and East, and the Vikings.

This burial place would have been used from 550 AD to bury the bodies of the deceased, on no less than four levels. It is therefore a very rich archaeological site. In the 1960s, skeletons had already been discovered there. Some of them are now kept in the Natural History Museum in London, others in the Orkney Museum in Kirkwall.

"The archaeological site of Newark, on the southeast coast of Orkney Islands, is constantly threatened by storms and huge waves coming from the North Sea ," said Pete Higgins, senior project manager at the Orkney Archeology Research Center (ORCA) to the Scottish newspaper The Scotsman .

Read also: A Viking chess game discovered in Scotland will make it possible to find a lost monastery

If the waves and gusts of wind have brought these vestiges to light, it is now the archaeologists' turn to continue the work undertaken by nature. The latter embarked on a race against the clock. Their mission: to fully excavate the coast and preserve human remains from erosion for as long as possible. Composed of blocks of clay, which absorbs rainwater in large quantities, the shore is indeed the victim of numerous landslides.

Sandbags protect clay soils from erosion and landslides. Amanda Brend

Read also: Edinburgh, Venice, Chan Chan ... Unesco warns of sites threatened by climate change

Once sheltered, the bones discovered on the beach will then be subjected to DNA analysis, reports The Scotsman . These may allow us to learn more about the identity of the mysterious occupants of the cemetery. The remains that lie in the rock clay will not be immediately moved, at least until a complete excavation can begin. Thus, archaeologists hope to more easily represent the cemetery and the funeral rituals that could take place there.

»Follow all the news from Figaro culture on Facebook and Twitter .
»Discover the Figaro Store guided tour program here .