Excavation

Date May 2014

Event ID 1010780

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1010780

NJ 5710 6383 As part of the Northern Picts Project surveys and excavations have been undertaken in an area stretching from Aberdeenshire to Easter Ross targeting sites that can help contextualise the character of society in the early medieval period in northern Pictland.

In May 2014 two forts near the site of the Gaulcross Pictish hoard were targeted to provide dating for the nearest fortified sites to the hoard site. The OS in 1961 suggested that the Durn Hillfort may be incomplete. Their survey described an incomplete rampart around the fort entrance and two shallow ‘marker’ ditches encircling the hill top. Feacham (1971) also suggested the fort was unfinished. The 2014 work targeted the ‘marker’ ditches. The trenches quickly established that the ditches are in fact palisade slots encircling the summit of Durn Hill. A slot in the inner line of defence identified charred material within the foundation trench. Charred material was subsequently radiocarbon dated to the Early Iron Age (Beta- 381815 2450 +/- 30 BP; 760–410 cal BC 95.4%). The 2014 work suggests that Durn Hill is an exceptionally well preserved fort in NE Scotland with much of both inner and outer palisades traceable on the surface encircling the hill with the SW area further marked by a short section of rampart and ditch.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen Development Trust in partnership with the Tarbat Discovery Centre

Gordon Noble and Oskar G Sveinbjarnarson – University of Aberdeen

(Source: DES)