The excavation of Cairnwell ring-cairn, Portlethen, Aberdeenshire (original) (raw)

Excavation of a Bronze Age ring cairn at Cloburn Quarry, Cairngryffe Hill, Lanarkshire

1998

Excavation at Cloburn Quarry, Cairngryffe Hill, Lanarkshire, of a Bronze Age ring cairn in 1986-7 revealed a monument of considerable complexity. Its earlier phases appear to have consisted of timber and stone rings around a central cremation pit, with other cremations in small pits within the rings. The most intensive period of funerary activity followed the removal of these circular architectural elements and coincided with the deposition offelsite chips across the site. These later interments included a cremation accompanied by an entire Food Vessel Vase. The final phase saw the construction of the outer ring and an irregular platform cairn within it. A number of cremations were later put into the cairn. Radiocarbon dates of 3450 ±50 BP and 3460 + 60 BP (1890-1630 and 1910-1620 cal EC) suggest an Early Bronze Age date for the pre-cairn monument. The project was funded throughout by Historic Scotland and its predecessor department (SDD/HBM).

A Neolithic Ring-Mound at Midtown of Pitglassie, Auchterless, Aberdeenshire

… of the Society of Antiquaries of …, 1996

In Autumn 1978, excavation took place on a small round mound at Midtown of Pitglassie where digging in the 1950s had produced Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery and lithics. The excavation was organized by the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate of the Department of the ...

Neolithic pits and Late Bronze Age roundhouses in the Upper Ury Valley, Aberdeenshire

Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2019

Archaeological monitoring of works on a gas pipeline route in Aberdeenshire, north-west of Inverurie, resulted in the discovery and excavation of several groups of Neolithic pits and four Bronze Age roundhouses. The Neolithic pits were concentrated around the Shevock Burn, a small tributary of the Ury, and in the East and North Lediken areas to the north. They produced significant assemblages of Early Neolithic Impressed Ware and of Modified Carinated Bowl. The Bronze Age roundhouses included the heavily truncated remains of a post-built structure near Pitmachie, the remains of a pair of ring ditch structures near Little Lediken Farm, and another ring ditch structure close to Wrangham village.

Excavation of Neolithic pits, later prehistoric structures and a Roman temporary camp along the line of A96 Kintore and Blackburn Bypass, Aberdeenshire

Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2002

Archaeological investigations were undertaken along the route of the A96 Kintore and Blackburn Bypass, Aberdeenshire, in 1996-7. During the initial evaluation work, pits containing prehistoric pottery were found at Boghead Croft and Cairnhall, while the northern and western perimeters of a Roman temporary camp were examined respectively at Rosebank and Deer's Den. A concentration of pits was located at Tavelty and further excavation revealed these to be the foundations of an Iron Age timber structure c 10 m in diameter. More extensive excavation around the western entrance into the Roman temporary camp at Deer's Den located a concentration of features including a spread of pits containing early Neolithic pottery and chipped stone, four later prehistoric structures and Roman/Early Historic field ovens.

The excavation and reconstruction of the recumbent stone circle at Strichen, Aberdeenshire, 1979-82

Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

The paper describes an excavation at Strichen monument, often considered an anomaly with its recumbent stone and flankers apparently on the north side of a stone circle, rather than to the south or southwest as is usually the case with this class of monument. Although the site had been badly damaged by modern activities, the excavations were able to demonstrate that the recumbent and flankers originally lay on the southern side of a prehistoric stone circle. A sequence was revealed showing that a roundhouse-like structure and a timber circle had been constructed in the Early Iron Age inside an Early Bronze Age monument. Comparisons with other Early Bronze Age sites that were reused in the Later Bronze and Iron Ages suggest that this may be part of a wider pattern in prehistoric Scotland. After the fieldwork was completed, the stones of the monument were re-erected in the sockets revealed by the excavation.

The excavation of a kerbed cairn at Beech Hill House, Coupar Angus, Perthshire

1995

A much-disturbed kerbed cairn was excavated in the summer of 1989, prior to building work on the site. Two phases of prehistoric activity were discerned. In Phase 1, evidence of pre-cairn agricultural activity was identified in a residual old ground surface which produced a tenuous third millennium BC date. No structural features were identified but settlement in the vicinity was suggested by the presence of flint artefacts and Neolithic pottery. Phase 2 comprised the Bronze Age kerbed cairn and associated features. The monument was much damaged and the chronological relationships between different features was often difficult to establish. Finds included Food Vessels, a bronze pin, a bone toggle and a bone pommel; the pommel is the sole example of its type from Scotland. However, the radiocarbon dates seem to be incompatible with the artefactual evidence which has limited the interpretation of the chronology of the site. The project was funded by Historic Scotland (formerly Histori...