By Bernie Bell

Tankerness House Museum has new galleries displaying Iron Age, Pictish and Viking exhibits.

I included the ‘old’ Iron Age, Pictish and Viking displays in this piece 

https://theorkneynews.scot/…/time-travel-in-tankerness…

…..and was all agog to see the new galleries – hoping they hadn’t been turned into glorified inter-active video games as has been a trend in some museums recently.

There was only a small Liner in at Kirkwall, we were reasonably up to date with the garden, so we decided to go for it and drove into Kirkwall, noticing the big orange poppies replacing the daffodils in the roadside verges.

This piece is mostly going to be pictures, tempting the reader to go and see for themselves – if they can. 

We began in the Iron Age with Brochs and Bling

and my favourite Iron Age  bead

The Varied Beauty of Ancient Beads

Stone balls and counters found at Howe, Stromness

Possibly for use with a gaming board similar to that found at Pool, Sanday

Gaming pieces? Or simply decorative?  Or?

There are a couple of pieces which were familiar from my original   ‘Time Travel’ piece – the spotty stone and the egg-shaped ‘amulet’?

And, to practicalities – a drop spindle with instructions about how to use it – plus a fine selection of spindle whorls

In this piece I include a pic. of Amber, using a drop spindle…

BROCHTOBERFEST!

I’ve also written previously about the Orkney Hood

http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16182

Examples of Pictish metalworking moulds

Take us through to the Picts

Included in the Pictish section is an image of the Swandro Stone….

Poetry Corner: The Swandro Stone

And so, through the door to the Vikings, and we encounter Ragna – the A.I. Viking woman.  It’s possible to ask ‘her’ questions, so I asked how come she’s so clean

Another woman asked how old ‘she’ is and another asked does she have children. She’s a 37 year old, hard-working Viking woman with four kids – and she looks like that!  Aye, well….

I suspect Mike of asking her out for a drink.

Of more interest to me, are the exhibits from the Scar Boat burial

Imagine trying to heft that sword!

I was pleased to see that the new gallery retains the Rune stamps whereby folk can write with Runes – as sure way to engage the interest of children

A lot of pics. – not many words – and I still haven’t even touched on the breadth of interest to be found in the new galleries. 

To Lucano’s for a most excellent lunch –  as always!

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