The Faroe Islands lie halfway between Iceland and Norway. In the ninth century CE, the Vikings, with their improved ships and navigation techniques, arrived on the islands and established a colony. However current archaeology shows that the Vikings were not the first to reach these islands.
Before the Vikings:
Until recently it was thought that the Faroe Islands were originally inhabited by the Vikings, but recent archaeological findings have uncovered evidence of an earlier human habitation. Two layers of burnt peat ash which contained barley grains were found beneath the remains of a Viking longhouse. The material dates to sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries CE. According to Eric Powell, writing in the magazine Archaeology, reports:
“The ash was probably taken from domestic hearths and then spread onto the sandy surface to control erosion, a common practice in the North Atlantic at the time.”
While the recent find shows that humans had been to the Faroes several centuries prior to the arrival of the Vikings, the data does not tell who these people were. The data simply shows that they cut peat for fuel and they raised barley. There are some stories by sixth century Irish monks which seem to suggest that they were familiar with the islands and had perhaps visited them. The monks were known to seek out isolated places which would provide them with solitude in order to get nearer to God.
The Vikings:
About 825 CE, the Vikings (also known as the Norse) arrived in the Faroe Islands. While the Vikings have a notorious reputation as warriors intent on plundering Christian monasteries, the Norse were actually mostly farmers and they arrived on the island as settlers, not plunderers. The first settler was Grimur Kamban, a Norwegian Viking.
As the population in southern Norway grew during the eighth and ninth centuries, farm land grew scarce. As a result, a number of Norse families sought new farming areas elsewhere.
The Vikings found that the Faroe Islands had relatively little land suitable for farming. They settled along the coast and used the inland areas for grazing their animals. Over the next five centuries, the population remained small, never exceeding 4,000 people.
A recent DNA analysis of the Y chromosome tracing male descent found that 87% of the male Faroese population is Scandinavian. However, the study also found that the mitochondrial DNA, which traces female descent, is 84% Scottish.
Kvivik:
One of the earliest Viking farmsteads on the Faroe Islands is Kvivik on the west coast of the island of Strymoy which was settled in the tenth century. At a point where a small river entered the sea, the Viking settlers built a longhouse and a barn.
The longhouse, compared with others on the Faroe Islands, was huge: it measured 72 feet by 20 feet. It was constructed using a double row of stone with earth and gravel in between which provided more insulation. The longhouse had a narrow 23-foot fire pit in the middle which was used for cooking and heating.
The barn was constructed parallel to the longhouse. It measured 33 feet by 12 feet and was divided into stalls for a dozen cows as well as storage areas.
The archaeological excavations at Kvivik uncovered many household objects: spindles, weights for looms, oil lamps, fishing gear, and children’s toys. These items are on display at the Historical Museum in Tórshavn.
Toftanes:
Another ancient Viking farmstead is Toftanes on the island of Esturoy. The farmstead is located next to a stream which flows into a fjord. Like Kvivik, Toftanes was settled in the tenth century.
The farmstead at Toftanes had four buildings. The longhouse, built with double walls like the longhouse at Kvivik, is 72 feet long. It was occupied by both humans and their animals.
Parallel to the longhouse, the Viking settlers constructed a smaller house measuring 43 feet by 13 feet. This house was built with a single wall of stone rather than the double wall used in the longhouse. It was probably used to air-dry meat.
The site also has two small buildings. One of these was probably used for storage. The other appears to have been used as a kitchen.
Archaeologists uncovered thousands of artifacts at Toftanes. This included soapstone bowls, glass and amber beads, and wooden spindle whorls. Many of the items from this site are also on display at the Historical Museum in Tórshavn.
Tjørnuvik:
Tjørnuvik is a hamlet at the northern end of Streymoy Island. In 1956, a dozen Viking graves were discovered at the edge of the hamlet. While the bodies were poorly preserved, a bronze pin found in one of the graves dates to the tenth century.