Scientists dated burnt grains of domesticated barley to two distinct phases occurring between the mid-fourth and mid-sixth centuries and again between the late-sixth and late-eighth centuries. Peat ash was also deposited during these same periods alongside sheep DNA dating back to around the year 500.
The Færeyinga saga claims Grímr Kamban was the first man to discover the Faroe Islands with his arrival placed between 872 and 930 AD in the Flateyjarbók manuscript. Evidence points to him being a Norse-Gael with mixed heritage whose surname has Gaelic origins.
Norwegian rule ended in 1380 when the islands joined the Kalmar Union and the Løgting became little more than a law court. Henry I Sinclair took possession of the islands as a vassal of Norway in the 1390s before Denmark-Norway entrusted the islands back to central government control in 1708.
King Christian III introduced Lutheranism to replace Catholicism in 1537 and the process took five years to complete. The bishopric at Kirkjubøur was abolished and Danish replaced Latin in church services while Thomas Köppen received exclusive trading rights from the new king.
British forces launched Operation Valentine to prevent Nazi Germany from using the strategic location of the islands as a submarine base for their operations. They built an airbase on Vágar which remains in use today as Vágar Airport while Faroese fishing boats provided large amounts of fish to the UK.
Self-governance was attained in 1948 with the Act of Faroese Home Rule following a majority vote in a referendum held in 1946 that the Danish government did not recognize. Faroese became an official language and the Faroese flag received official recognition from Danish authorities.