Jarlshof Prehistoric Site

Jarlshof Prehistoric Site is a Historic and Protected Site at Sumburgh, Shetland, ZE3 9JN, United Kingdom

Jarlshof is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Britain, on a headland overlooking the West Voe of Sumburgh at the southern tip of Shetland. It holds more than 4,000 years of human settlement in a single place, from Neolithic people who first arrived around 2700 BC to a laird's house still in use in the 1600s. Laid bare by a storm in the late 19th century, its layers include oval Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Norse longhouses and a medieval farmstead, all set side by side. The name Jarlshof, meaning the earl's mansion, was coined by Sir Walter Scott for his novel The Pirate. A dramatic and atmospheric window onto the deep past of the islands.

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