New Evidence for the Date of Introduction of the House Mouse, Mus musculus domesticus Schwartz & Schwartz, and the Field Mouse, Apodemus sylvaficus (L.), to Shetland

Abstract This paper presents new evidence to challenge the accepted view that both the house mouse Mus musculus domesticus and the field mouse Apodemus sylvaticus were introduced to Shetland by the Vikings. Archaeological remains of both Mus and Apodemus have been recovered from the site of Old Scatness Broch. While both mice were present in deposits dating to around the period of early Viking incursions, Apodemus has also been identified in a number of deposits dated to the middle Iron Age (200 BC–AD 400), while Mus bones have also been recovered from two well sealed contexts also of middle Iron Age date.