Excavation

Date July 1988 - August 1988

Event ID 1002554

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1002554

The final season of excavation took place during July and August 1988. Work was concerned with the identification of the primary Iron Age deposits and with the understanding of the earlier Neolithic formation processes. The former were represented by a souterrain-type structure of which little had survived other than a flagged access way. This lay in association with a small agricultural/animal-related structure excavated in a previous season. Both were eventually replaced around the 5th century AD by a part-subterranean cellular complex created by revetting back the extant Neolithic tips.

The major part of the effort, however, was directed towards these Neolithic levels, and selective excavation revealed a number of structural forms sealed within the midden deposits. These demonstrated that the site had been continuously occupied approximately between 3500 BC and 2000 BC. The developed mound was tell-like in appearance with the main bulk component being a matrix of light, sandy ashy deposits, arguably the result of burning turf as a domestic fuel. Within these tips few of the structural remains had survived to any height but the foundation levels were adequate to identify a number of architectural innovations for the period. Excavation also revealed an earlier mound at the north of the site, underlying these tip deposits. A geophysical survey and sampling strategy were implemented.

J R Hunter 1988.