Editing Shetland (section)

== Prehistory ==
{{Main|Prehistoric Shetland}}

[[File:Jarlshof 20080821 - aisled roundhouse and broch.jpg|thumb|left|290px|The preserved ruins of a [[Wheelhouse (archaeology)|wheelhouse]] and [[broch]] at [[Jarlshof]], described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles".<ref name=jarl>[http://www.shetland-heritage.co.uk/brochures/area_pages/south_mainland/jarlshof_&_scatness.htm " Jarlshof & Scatness"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710040406/http://www.shetland-heritage.co.uk/brochures/area_pages/south_mainland/jarlshof_%26_scatness.htm |date=10 July 2009 }} shetland-heritage.co.uk, Retrieved 2 August 2008</ref>]]

Due to the practice, dating to at least the early [[Neolithic]], of building in stone on virtually treeless islands, Shetland is extremely rich in physical remains of the prehistoric eras and there are over 5,000 archaeological sites all told.<ref>Turner (1998), p. 18</ref> A [[midden]] site at West Voe on the south coast of Mainland, dated to 4320–4030 BC, has provided the first evidence of [[Mesolithic]] human activity in Shetland.<ref>Melton, Nigel D., "West Voe: A Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition Site in Shetland" in Noble ''et al'' (2008), pp. 23, 33</ref><ref>Melton, N. D. & Nicholson R. A. (March 2004) [http://antiquity.ac.uk/Projgall/nicholson/ "The Mesolithic in the Northern Isles: the preliminary evaluation of an oyster midden at West Voe, Sumburgh, Shetland, U.K."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628175702/http://antiquity.ac.uk/Projgall/nicholson/|date=28 June 2011}} ''Antiquity'' '''78''' No 299</ref> The same site provides dates for early Neolithic activity and finds at [[Scord of Brouster]] in [[Walls, Shetland|Walls]] have been dated to 3400 BC.{{#tag:ref|The Scord of Brouster site includes a cluster of six or seven walled fields and three stone circular houses that contains the earliest [[Hoe (tool)|hoe]]-blades found so far in Scotland.<ref>Fleming (2005) p. 47, quoting Clarke, P.A. (1995) ''Observations of Social Change in Prehistoric Orkney and Shetland based on a Study of the Types and Context of Coarse Stone Artefacts'', M. Litt. thesis, University of Glasgow</ref>|group="Note"}} "Shetland knives" are stone tools that date from this period made from [[felsite]] from [[Northmavine]].<ref name=Sch10>Schei (2006) p. 10</ref>

Pottery shards found at the important site of [[Jarlshof]] also indicate that there was Neolithic activity there although the main settlement dates from the [[Bronze Age]].<ref>Nicolson (1972) pp. 33–35</ref> This includes a [[Forge|smithy]], a cluster of [[wheelhouse (archaeology)|wheelhouses]] and a later broch. The site has provided evidence of habitation during various phases right up until [[Viking]] times.<ref name="jarl"/><ref>Kirk, William "Prehistoric Scotland: The Regional Dimension" in Clapperton (1983) p. 106</ref> [[Heel-shaped cairn]]s, are a style of [[chambered cairn]] unique to Shetland, with a particularly large example in [[Vementry]].<ref name="Sch10"/>

Numerous brochs were erected during the [[Iron Age]]. In addition to Mousa there are significant ruins at [[Broch of Clickimin|Clickimin]], [[Broch of Culswick|Culswick]], [[Old Scatness]] and [[Broch of West Burrafirth|West Burrafirth]], although their origin and purpose is a matter of some controversy.<ref>Armit (2003) pp. 24–26</ref> The later Iron Age inhabitants of the [[Northern Isles]] were probably Pictish, although the historical record is sparse. Hunter (2000) states in relation to King [[Bridei I of the Picts]] in the sixth century AD: "As for Shetland, Orkney, Skye and the Western Isles, their inhabitants, most of whom appear to have been Pictish in culture and speech at this time, are likely to have regarded Bridei as a fairly distant presence".<ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 44, 49</ref> In 2011, the collective site, "[[The Crucible of Iron Age Shetland]]", including Broch of Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof, joined the UKs "Tentative List" of [[World Heritage Sites in Scotland|World Heritage Sites]].<ref>[http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7220.aspx "From Chatham to Chester and Lincoln to the Lake District — 38 UK places put themselves forward for World Heritage status"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713142554/http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7220.aspx |date=13 July 2010 }} (7 July 2010) Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Retrieved 7 March 2011</ref><ref name="BBC311">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12818008 "Sites make Unesco world heritage status bid shortlist"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001073636/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12818008 |date=1 October 2018 }} (22 March 2011) BBC Scotland. Retrieved 22 March 2011</ref>