The sculptured stone engraved with mysterious symbols – identifiably Pictish – was turned up in Cunningsburgh, where another carved stone was found in 1992. Shetland, though somewhat isolated then as now, was part of the Pictish kingdom which stretched across northern Scotland in the country's pre-Christian era from 400-800AD.
"It was found by the gravedigger," explained Dr Ian Tait, Curator of Collections at Shetland Museum and Archives. "The place where it was found has been a graveyard since at least the Middle Ages, and before that it was almost certainly a centre of power."
"The gravedigger was fortuitously the same man who found the other stone in 1992, so although he's not an archaeologist he knew something was afoot when he saw this one and he brought it to me in the museum."
"I was absolutely flabbergasted," he continued. "It's a once in a lifetime find and he's found two!"
The slab measures 45 by 25cm (18 by 11 inches), and is a portion that has broken off from a larger stone. It probably dates to about 700AD.
One side of it bears known Pictish symbols such as a Z-shaped figure with ornate terminals. There are also two disc shapes on either side of this symbol, making it consistent with other Pictish carvings that have been found. However, the two discs on this stone have crosses inside them – a novel finding.