COLLEEN BATEY has excavated widely at several major Viking sites, including Jarlshof in Shetland, Orphir in Orkney, and Hofstađir in Iceland. Colleen’s main research interests lie in the field of Viking and Late Norse archaeology, particularly in the Northern Isles of Scotland; Caithness, Scotland; and the North Atlantic region. Most recently, she published a major book on her work at the Earl’s Bu, Orphir, Orkney, where a Norse horizontal mill was identified as part of the Earl’s Hall and round church complex. This work provides indications of local farming as well as international and national trading connections. In addition, Colleen is actively involved in the research of Viking pagan graves in Scotland. Colleen has spent nearly 30 years working with small expedition ships, undertaking visits to the main UNESCO site in Orkney, for example, in addition to those in Greenland, Newfoundland, and the Baltic region. This has included seven prior AIA-sponsored cruises in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. She now lives in Orkney permanently. In early 2026, Colleen was appointed Honorary Inaugural Professor for the World Heritage Site in Durham, England. She also holds Fellowships in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham (from where she graduated as both undergraduate and Ph.D.) as well as at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland.
Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow
