Digital Digging: How to Explore Scottish Archaeology Online
You don’t have to be on a dig site to discover Scotland’s stories. In addition to Dig It’s own digital resources (Crafting the Past – pictured above), there are lots of free tools that you can access with just a computer and an internet connection.
Follow in Antiquarian Footsteps | Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Browse scholarly work in the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s journal archive, head to their YouTube channel for over 100 recordings of lectures and talks or enjoy out-of-print publications in the Digital Books archive.
Click Around Caves | Wemyss Caves
Wemyss Caves in Fife are home to the largest collection of Pictish inscribed symbols (in one place) and with the Wemyss4D website, you can explore a 3D presentation of the caves as they are now or step back into history to see them as they appeared over 1,400 years ago.
Dive into Iron Age Artefacts | The Scottish Crannog Centre
Opened following the reconstruction of an Iron Age loch dwelling as an archaeological experiment, the Scottish Crannog Centre has evolved to become a museum with a unique insight into prehistoric life on Loch Tay. Thanks to their new YouTube videos, you can explore the “The Crannog Story in 10 Objects”, ranging from a wooden whistle to a prehistoric butter dish.
Spend a Day at the Museum | National Museums Scotland
With the click of a button you can dive into National Museum Scotland’s collections, get even closer to artefacts with their Sketchfab models or videos, or go behind the scenes with their archaeology blog posts.
Drop into an Exhibition | Can You Dig It?
Couldn’t make it to the Can You Dig It? project’s display in Dumfries & Galloway which showcased the community archaeology activities carried out during 2019? Not a problem. This Sketchfab model allows you to “drop in” to the event online.
Find Out What’s New | ScARF
For an up-to-date overview of Scottish archaeology, the Scottish Archaeological Research Framework (ScARF) is your go-to resource (we recommend digging into the case studies which cover everything from the tomb of Robert the Bruce to graffiti).
Search Across Scotland | Historic Environment Scotland
Head to sites across the country or find your new favourite artefact with Historic Environment Scotland’s Sketchfab models and archaeology blog posts, or discover the history of a place from a bird’s eye view with their PastMap resource.
Pick a Presentation | NOSAS
The main objectives of the North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS) are to further the study of archaeology in the North of Scotland and to promote that interest to a wider audience. If you’ve always wanted to make it to one of their events, they’ve started a series of online archaeological meetings which are now available online, with topics such as ‘Tinsmiths & Travellers: Archaeology on the Move’ and ‘Archaeology of ‘Inverness West Link development, Phases 1&2’.
Listen Up | Northern Picts Project
Northern Picts is a project that aims to uncover the archaeological traces of Pictish society in northern Scotland and teach people of all ages about the Picts, archaeology and the broader story of our human past. To help spread they word, they’ve produced a series of podcasts (one | two | three) for everyone to enjoy.
Step onto a Dig Site | Ness of Brodgar
Archaeologists, students and volunteers have been unearthing the Neolithic complex at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney for over 15 years and thanks to their Sketchfab models, you can virtually ‘handle’ some of the 4,000-year-old finds and wander around this huge site.
If that’s not enough, you can also check out Archaeology Scotland’s Heritage Resource Portal (aimed primarily at teachers), free courses from FutureLearn and DigVentures, and the list of helpful links on the Council for British Archaeology’s Archaeology Resource Hub.
If you think we’ve missed any free Scottish archaeology resources, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Header Image: Screenshot from the Crafting The Past Minecraft resource
