Stone Pages - Archaeo News (Scotland)

Haematite to colour ancient stones found in Scotland

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:59:29 +0100

Archaeologists working on prehistoric sites at Daer on Lowther Hills, an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, are discovering further sites within a forestry plantation.
For the first time Biggar Archaeological Group has found colouring substances, used by hunter-gatherers over 6000 years ago. "Haematite was rubbed on stones to give a bright maroon coloured powder which makes good paint," explained group leader Tam Ward. "How it was used at Daer is not known but in Denmark, where graves are often found, the skeletons are covered in this stuff. The overlap between the hunters and the first farmers has also been found and is causing some excitement."

Edited from Lanark Gazette (22 January 2011)

5,000-year-old pottery found on Scottish island

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:38:36 +0100

Last year, fishermen, beachcombers, divers and islanders in the Western Isles of Scotland were asked for information on where archaeologists might find ancient sites along shorelines. The project involves the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), WA Coastal and Marine, Historic Scotland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
The experts are now working on confirming, dating and analysing the sites and relics they were alerted to, along with aerial photographs of the locations. Finds included Neolithic pottery found by a diver in Loch an Duna, on Lewis. A previously unknown complex of fish traps and evidence of occupation south of Lochboisdale on South Uist have also been found.
Dr Jonathan Benjamin, of WA Coastal and Marine, said local knowledge was key to the first major study of the Western Isles' marine archaeology. He said: "As full-time archaeologists we don't have the benefit of observing the shoreline between the low and high tides, day in and day out, year after year. That's why we're relying on the knowledge of people who live and work on or near the sea, and who might have noticed something out of the ordinary, either in a fishing net, or at an especially low tide. We're also explaining to people the sorts of things that we're interested in, because they may have seen or noticed things in the past, but disregarded them as not important."
The Western Isles have been giving up their ancient secrets in recent centuries. Udal, a site on North Uist, has evidence of occupation for every age from the Neolithic to the 20th Century

Edited from BBC News (12 January 2012)

Prehistoric artefacts unearthed on Scotland's Western Isles

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:09:01 +0100

New research is being carried out on artefacts recovered from a site at Udal (North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland) where achaeology provides an 'unbroken timeline' of occupation from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Viking, Medieval through to the 1900s.
Archaeologist Ian Crawford excavated Udal between 1963 and 1995. The earliest Neolithic layers he revealed consisted of a line of stones with a large upright stone nicknamed 'the great auk stone' because of its resemblance to the extinct seabird. A deep shaft containing quartz pebbles which had been covered over with a whale's vertebrae was also uncovered.
From the Bronze Age, finds included a skeleton and from the Iron Age evidence of metal work. Also from the Iron Age were the remains of homes dubbed Jelly Baby houses because the shape of them looked like the sweets.
Crawford's collection is in the care of Western Isles local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Some of the evidence at the site was preserved by wind-blown sand dunes, and Comhairle said the preservation of relics was rare outside of the Middle East. It believes the site on the Grenitote peninsula to be one of the most important of its kind in the world.
The comhairle has received a grant from the Museum Association's Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund to carry out the most complete post-excavation research to be done so far on the site and its finds. Money from the grant will also be used to investigate the potential for an archaeological resource centre on North Uist.
Councillor Archie Campbell said: "The local community has been waiting nearly 50 years to learn about what was discovered beneath the sand dunes and to see the finds for themselves. This grant will go towards achieving that vision by funding a feasibility study into the potential of the Udal collections as the basis for an archaeological resource centre and the impact it would have on the islands' economy."

Edited from BBC News (7 December 2011)

Twigs help identifying a 'genuine Iron Age broch'

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:17:43 +0100

Radiocarbon dating of burnt twigs found inside a broch at Clachtoll in Assynt (Highland, Scotland) suggest its interior remained untouched after it was built in the Iron Age. Brochs were often modified during later periods of use. One at Nybster in Caithness has evidence of possible Pictish and medieval occupation. The dating of twigs possibly used for woven mats points to the Assynt site remaining unaltered until it collapsed.
Archaeologists involved in a community project called Life and Death in Assynt's Past had expected the burnt wood to date from 300 to 1000 CE, during the building's final phase of occupation. However, tests at AOC Archaeology's laboratory in Midlothian dated it to 111 BCE and 55 CE, suggesting generations of families left the interior unaltered from the time it was created. A spokeswoman for the project said: "The possibility that we have a genuine Iron Age broch interior, untrammelled by later modification of admixture, is very exciting indeed."
Built of stone, circular tower-like brochs were impressive homes in some of Scotland's Iron Age communities. The broch at Clachtoll was built using stones weighing up to 100kg each.

Edited from BBC News (14 November 2011)

Iron and Bronze Age finds in Argyll

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:07:18 +0100

A routine archaeological survey has uncovered a treasure trove of Iron and Bronze Age artefacts on a hillside near Oban (Argyll, Scotland), including a Neolithic axe-head dating back 5,000 to 6,000 years and three roundhouses around 2,500 to 3,000 years old. Other objects include a hoard of stone tools dating back 3,000 years and hundreds of fragments of Bronze Age pottery.
Dr Clare Ellis, of Argyll Archaeology, who surveyed the site at Glenshellach on the outskirts of Oban, said: "The site is unusual because the excavation of domestic prehistoric sites in Argyll is very rare." Dr Ellis explained that the roundhouses, a variety of artefacts and an old metalwork store - identified because of traces of molten iron - were hidden under the grass-covered hillside. She said: "All you could see on site when we first did an evaluation was the main ruin of the farmstead - the roundhouses were under the grass and the soil. We have got three roundhouses that are prehistoric and two of them could be anything from Bronze Age to Iron Age."
She added: "We found the Neolithic axehead in a 18th-century farmstead, which we are currently excavating. It was among the rubble in the barn and is quite a rare find. It's a stone axehead and it's highly polished, for ceremonial use, not practical use. These were prestige items and they had a ritual significance. We think that whoever lived at the farmstead has found it in the fields and has thought, 'We will keep that.' We also found lots of little hammer stones and wet stones for grinding corn, smashing up vegetative matter, or lichens and seaweed for dyes. The grinding stone tools are about 3,000 years old."
Dr Ellis added: "It is believed that one of the roundhouses may have belonged to a VIP, as it is 14 metres in diameter - huge when compared to the average size of prehistoric houses. It may be Iron Age, but it could be Bronze Age and if it's Bronze Age it will be a really, really exciting find because of its size. It's only when we have finished excavating the site and we get the carbon dating results back that we will know."

Edited from The Scotsman (5 November 2011)

Ness of Brodgar site was in use for a millennium

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:45:01 +0100

The site of the prehistoric complex on the Ness of Brodgar (Orkney, Scotland) was in use for around 1,000 years. New radiocarbon dates from two areas of the ongoing excavations show the Stenness site was occupied from at least 3200 BCE to 2300 BCE. The earliest date came from deposits under the southern boundary (the 'Lesser Wall') that was one of two prehistoric walls that enclosed the site. The second came from a huge deposit of cattle bone filling the upper levels of the paved 'passage' surrounding Structure Ten - the massive 'cathedral' building.
Both dates came as something of a surprise to site director Nick Card, from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA). "The material under the lesser wall dates from circa 3200-3100 BCE. As such, this is probably the earliest material we have so far encountered. The bone spread around Structure Ten yielded a date of around 2300 BCe. This was much later than expected, so the two dates give us a much longer sequence than anticipated - almost a millennium of activity!"
As there are still layers of archaeology beneath the wall, the excavators have not yet reached the earliest layers of the site. Mr Card said: "These preliminary dates give us a period of 800 years, but we can fairly safely extend that at either end of the timescale because we know the dating samples did not come from the earliest or latest phases of the site. So, I'd say we're easily looking at a millennium of activity on the Ness - from the construction of the Standing Stones of Stenness, around 3000 BCE, through to the Ring of Brodgar and into the Bronze Age."
Mr Card added; "On the Ness of Brodgar there's not a hint of any classic Bronze Age Beaker pottery - even in the upper, most recent levels, it was all Neolithic Grooved Ware. There's something very odd going on here." It has been suggested in the past that the existing power base in the late Neolithic prevented the adoption of new ideas, such as beakers and metalworking, in order to maintain their authority.
The late date of the cattle bones outside Structure Ten is particularly interesting as it has parallels with Bronze Age funerary practice on mainland Britain. The Ness of Brodgar bone assemblage was made up of cattle bones, particularly tibia - all deposited at the same time perhaps indicating a major feasting event associated with 'decommissioning' of Structure Ten.

Edited from Orkneyjar (27 October 2011)

A massive prehistoric monument under the Loch of Stenness?

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:35:51 +0100

Survey work in the Loch of Stenness (Ortkney, Scotland) has revealed what could be a massive prehistoric monument lying underwater to the south of the Ring of Brodgar. The underwater 'anomaly' has come to light in a project looking at prehistoric sea level change in Orkney. The project, The Rising Tide: Submerged Landscape of Orkney, is a collaboration between the universities of St Andrews, Wales, Dundee, Bangor and Aberdeen.
Although it is tempting to speculate that the ring-shaped feature, which lies just off the loch's shore, is the remains of a henge or perhaps a prehistoric quarry, at this stage the project leaders are urging caution. Orkney-based archaeologist, Caroline Wickham-Jones, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, explained: "The preliminary results are suggesting that there is an unusual 'object' in the shallow water just off the shore, but more work is needed before we can identify it or even confirm whether it is a natural, perhaps geological, feature, or something man-made."
Dr Richard Bates from the School of Geosciences, St Andrews University, added: "The character and size of this feature - approximately 90m in diameter - are about the size of the main Ring of Brodgar. If it turns out to be artificial, the massive anomaly has to predate the influx of the sea into the Stenness Loch basin."
When prehistoric Orcadians started to build the stone circles in Stenness, the landscape would have been much different to what it is today and the sea would have been about a metre below current levels. Even then, the impact of the rising water in the Loch of Stenness was a bit slower. "We think there was a gradual incursion of the sea over time, preceded by a number of storm events that saw seawater crash over the rock lip and begin to form what was to become the Loch of Stenness," said Ms Wickham-Jones.
As well as the Stenness Loch, the project has also focused on Hoy, Hoxa and the Bay of Firth. In the latter, the surveys have revealed how the landscape was transformed from the start of the Mesolithic period (c.7000 BCE), when the "bay" was dry land, to the late Neolithic/Bronze Age (c.2000 BCE), when sea water had filled in the lower-lying areas leaving Damsay as a tidal island.
Dr Martin Bates, of the University of Wales, commented: "Survey has identified a possible lake site in the Finstown basin before the sea flooded the area, and this may have been a focus of activity during the Mesolithic. In future, diving at the margins of this lake might reveal evidence for such activity".
Ms Wickham-Jones added: "Archaeologists study what's there, but sometimes it's more interesting to ask what's not there. The early Neolithic tombs around the bay for example: where are they? Many other early Neolithic tombs in Orkney - such as Unstan - are found near present sea level, on low-lying land. Were the earliest tombs around the Bay of Firth built on land that has since been covered by sea?"

Edited from Orkneyjar (3 October 2011)

Volunteers needed to collapse a replica broch

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:44:36 +0100

The Caithness Archaeological Trust (CAT) is currently in the process of reconstructing a full sized broch, in Spittal Quarry (Caithness, Scotland). The idea is to construct the broch and then knock a section down, to understand how they collapse. It is hoped that this will help archaeologists who uncover ruined brochs in the future. The project is called STONEworks Early architecture Project.
The idea is to deposit items in specific locations in the broch wall, as it is constructed, and then see where they eventually end up when it is collapsed. In addition to the broch construction CAT will also be carrying out traditional skills workshops, childrens activities, guided walks and talks.
The Caithness Archaeological Trust was set up in 2002 to promote all aspects of archaeology in Caithness and to re-engage the local residents with their heritage. They are working alongside another local organisation, the Archie Sinclair Fossil Centre, which is a local hall and exhibition run by Caithness residents and housing a collection of fossils and a film show of the local Flagstone Industry.
Also involved in the project is the AOC Archaeology Group, whose officer Charlotte Douglas, is quoted as saying "We'd really love to see more volunteers on site - of any age. Volunteers are welcome to turn up on site as and when they please. No registration or commitment is required, but all assistance will be gratefully received".
Sessions started last September 19th and will last through October 15th - 9am to 5pm daily (not Sundays). To take part or for more information, please contact Derek of Caithness Archaeological Trust email@caithnessarchaeology.org.uk Tel: 01593 731 269.

Edited from John O'Groat Journal, Caithness Courier (25 September 2011)

Early link between Picts & Romans found in Scotland

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:26:47 +0100

A team of archaeologists, known as the Strathern Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) project, have uncovered findings which could re-write early Scottish history. The team comprises archaeologists and students from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Chester Universities, as well as other volunteers from Scotland, Europe and North America. The site is located at Dunning, in Perthshire, and the team involved has been together for some time, with quite a few discoveries before this one, including an early Bronze Age burial and a Pictish royal centre. Within the 4000-year-old grave the archaeologists found a stunning bronze dagger and beautifully preserved flowers thought to be the earliest floral tribute ever discovered in the UK. This find, however, pushes all others into the shadows.
It is of an Iron Age broch, the favoured residence of the Roman elite during their occupation of the area, filled with evidence of early contact between the Picts and Romans. It is situated in a commanding position, on the top of a hill, and had a massive 5 metre thick outer drystone defensive wall. It would have dominated the surrounding countryside, with a full panoramic view. At some stage the broch weas destroyed by fire and the site was subsequently occupied by a Pictish warlord as there is evidence of a pallisaded fortress being built directly over the remains of the broch and a wealth of high grade artifacts has been found, both Roman and native.
"It's not unreasonable to see this as a seat of a Celtic chieftain, who collected a wide range of luxury objects from the Roman world perhaps through trading with the Romans or possibly even serving in the Roman army," Stephen Driscoll, professor of historical archaeology at Glasgow University and director of the SERF project, said. "The artefacts are of particular interest as they date to the time of the first contact with the Roman world and offer numerous clues to how the Picts might have begun their interactions with the Roman Empire. This is the best example of an Iron Age Roman site being reoccupied by the Picts. We have long suspected that this happened, but now we can examine the Picts' relationships with the Romans in much more detail," Dr. Driscoll added.
Cabinet Minister for Culture & External Affairs for the Scottish Government, Fiona Hyslop, is quoted as saying "It has potentially far-reaching implications for how we view our history. To be able to reveal such an exceptional site that holds impressive architecture, artifacts and has been used and reused over generations to give us new understanding of Celts, Picts and Romans is outstanding and I would like to congratulate the team for their hard work and dedication".

Edited from BBC News, The Courier (31 August 2011)

4,600-year-old 'pub' discovered in Shetland?

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:01:19 +0100

Experts believe that 4600 years ago natives may have been enjoying a pie and pint at Jarlshof in Shetland (Scotland). They say the layout of the stone settlement near Sumburgh Head suggests it may be the oldest pub ever found in Britain. And a dozen or so quernstones - for grinding barley - indicate it may have served as both a drinking den and a bakery.
Jarlshof, described as 'one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles' was first revealed after a storm in 1890. It contains remains dating from 2500 BCE up to the 17th century.
Experts including Shetland regional archaeologist Val Turner are in no doubt that - pub or not - there was beer being brewed at Jarlshof in the Iron Age. Dr Noel Fojut, author of Prehistoric And Viking Shetland, said: "We know communal feasting, and probably drinking, was a feature of Iron Age life. Providing lavish hospitality seems to have been an important means of establishing social status. It's difficult, however, to distinguish an inn or pub - where people paid - from a communal dining/drinking house. It's an attractive idea that there may have a welcoming 'howff' at Shetland's southern landfall and perfectly possible. But it's much more likely any hospitality would have been offered by a local family, rather than by a commercial landlord as we'd imagine one today."
The building has a house next door which has a large souterrain - which was the equivalent of a Iron Age refrigerator used for storing smoked or salted meats. And during the early Iron Age, the site at Jarlshof was surrounded by crops of barley and emmer, a kind of wheat.

Edited from Daily Record (5 September 2011), New Kerala (7 September 2011)

5000-year-old arrowhead unearthed in Scotland

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:12:50 +0100

Archaeologists on the site of the Kilwinning mediaeval abbey in Scotland believe the flint leaf arrowhead dates from the early Neolithic, circa 3500 BCE.
Tom Rees, of Rathmell Archaeology, said: "While this may be a stray loss by a prehistoric hunter, Neolithic flint arrowheads during the mediaeval period were termed elf-shot and used as amulets to protect the wearer, giving a more intriguing process for bringing the arrowhead onto our site."
Already a range of medieval and post-medieval finds have been recovered including slate carved as gaming boards.

Edited from The Irvine Herald and Kilwinning Chronicle (2 September 2011)

Archaeologists move in at ancient Scottish Highland site

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:46:54 +0100

An archaeological dig has got underway at Fortingall, near Aberfeldy, one of the earliest places of Christian worship in Highland Perthshire (Scotland).
Breadalbane Heritage Society has joined forces with Archaeologist Dr Oliver JT O'Grady - best known for carrying out excavations at Scone Palace - to discover more about the village's ancient history. Dr O'Grady is directing the excavation of two trenches in fields surrounding Fortingall, where the remains of an ancient Pictish monastery are believed to rest.
Targets include a large ditch-like feature believed to have surrounded the ancient parish kirk and famous Fortingall yew tree, which dates to 3000 BCE. Experts believe both landmarks sat at the heart of the site.
The monastery is thought to be crucial to the region's history because Christianity and literacy first came into the area at such sites during the conversion of the Picts - the ancient Celtic peoples of northern Scotland - from the 7th Century CE. The disciples of St Columba of Iona, such as St Adamnan and St Coeti, are still remembered in tradition and place-names, and may have actually founded the churches at Fortingall and nearby Dull.
Archaeologist and project director Mr Grady said: "This is a great opportunity to learn more about a site likely to have been closely tied-up in the beginnings of written records in the Highlands and religious belief in Scotland."
Both archaeologists and local volunteers will be at Fortingall until the end of the month, and are taking visitors' questions.

Edited from Perthshire Advertiser (26 August 2011)

Dig to understand why Iron Age broch collapsed

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:09:28 +0100

Archaeologists in Scotland are trying to understand how and when an Iron Age tower called a broch in the north west Highlands was left in ruins. The outer wall of the ancient building was constructed using stones weighing up to 100kg each. The broch, today a huge pile of rubble, may have been up to 13m (42ft) high.
John Barber, lead archaeologist at the dig at Clachtoll in Assynt, said 'enormous force' would have been needed to shift the stonework. He said: "Engineering calculations will give us more accurate measurements of the tower, and we found radiocarbon datable material among the rubble which could give us a date for the collapse. We also see that the building has been remodelled and reworked, but without further excavation we cannot know when or by whom." Bones, pottery shards and charcoal have been dug up during the excavation, and will be taken for analysis.
Group Historic Assynt believe Clachtoll broch was built and occupied by a sophisticated maritime culture stretching up to the Northern Isles and out to the Hebrides at a time before the Roman conquest of southern Britain. The tower may have been seen by ancient Greek geographer Pytheas during his circumnavigation of Britain. Historic Assynt is planning further excavations at other sites - a Neolithic chambered cairn at Loch Borralan and a pre-Clearance longhouse in Glenleraig.

Edited from BBC News (24 August 2011)

Scottish prehistoric mummies made from jigsaw of body parts

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:24:22 +0100

DNA tests on Scottish prehistoric mummies revealed they were made of body parts from several different people, arranged to look like one person. The four bodies discovered in 2001 on South Uist, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides were the first evidence in Britain of deliberate mummification. It is thought the body parts may have come from people in the same families. Sheffield University's Prof Mike Parker Pearson said the mummies had not been buried straight after preservation.
A team from the University of Sheffield first uncovered the remains of a three-month-old-child, a possible young female adult, a female in her 40s and a male under the prehistoric village of Cladh Hallan. But recent tests on the remains carried out by the University of Manchester, show that the 'female burial', previously identified as such because of the pelvis of the skeleton, was in fact a composite. It was made up of three different people, and some parts, such as the skull, were male. Radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis showed that the male mummy was also a composite.
Prof Parker Pearson, an expert in the Bronze Age and burial rituals has a theory about why the mummies were put together this way. "These could be kinship components, they are putting lineages together, the mixing up of different people's body parts seems to be a deliberate act," he said. "I don't believe these 'mummies' were buried immediately, but played an active part in society, as they do in some tribal societies in other parts of the world," he added. He said as part of ancestral worship, the mummies probably would have been asked for spiritual advice to help the community make decisions.
Archaeologists found the mummies in the foundations of a row of unusual Bronze Age terraced roundhouses. The human burials were articulated but crouched with the knees drawn tightly up under the chin. Radio carbon dating showed that, in two cases, the individuals had died up to 600 years before interment in the houses, meaning they had been kept above ground for some time by their descendants.
In order for the bodies to have been found as articulated skeletons as they were, rather than piles of bones, some soft tissue preservation had to have taken place. Further tests showed that the bones had become demineralised, a process caused by placing a body in an acidic environment like a peat bog. Analysis on the bones found showed that after death, the bodies had been placed in bogs for about a year to mummify them before being recovered. Mr Parker Pearson said he believed there may be more examples of deliberate mummification in Britain that have been missed by archaeologists up until now.
The Cladh Hallan mummies had been carefully placed in the crouch burial position, a style of burial where the body is drawn up into the foetal position, commonly found in the Bronze Age. Prof Parker Pearson's team are examining other crouch burial examples to see if these were in fact the mummified remains of much older bodies as well. Early results are proving to be promising, as a sample from remains in Cambridge show that bacterial decay was halted at some point after death.

Edited from BBC News (22 August 2011)

Iron Age burial site found on Skye

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:51:11 +0100

The remains of an ancient burial cist and pottery have been uncovered at the site of a new £1.3m health centre on Skye (Inner Hebrides, Scotland). No human remains have been found, but archaeologist Steven Birch also discovered a cairn and an underground structure known as a souterrain. The finds could date from the Iron Age.
Mr Birch, of West Coast Archaeological Services, said: "There is a surprising range of important archaeological features within such a small area on the site. Not only did we uncover the remains of an intriguing cairn-like structure, but there were numerous other features, including a grain-drying kiln, an underground stone-lined passage and a burial cist containing a ceramic Beaker vessel."

Edited from BBC News (12 August 2011), The Press and Journal (13 August 2011)