Fair Isle: The Fealie Dyke and its environment as an indicator of past landscapes

Project summary

This project will investigate the origins and development of the Fealie Dyke, a substantial prehistoric boundary earthwork on Fair Isle, Shetland, through archaeological excavation and environmental analysis. By examining soil, pollen and micro-stratigraphic samples alongside artefactual evidence, the research will establish when the monument was constructed, how it was reused over time, and how the island’s environment and landscape management changed over the last 2,000 years. The project will also create the first baseline environmental dataset for Fair Isle, addressing a significant gap in knowledge about this important North Atlantic landscape.

The findings will improve understanding of Fair Isle’s cultural and environmental history while informing future landscape conservation and management by the National Trust for Scotland. Working in partnership with the Fair Isle community, local school and museum, the project will build local knowledge and skills, strengthen public engagement with archaeology and environmental science, and provide new evidence for exploring the historical connections between Orkney, Shetland and the wider North Atlantic region.