Excavation

Date July 2014

Event ID 1012781

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1012781

NT 55505 67739 A third season of work at the cropmark enclosure at Sheriffside consisted of a major phase of evaluation. The work was carried out during July 2014 as part of a training fieldschool. A large, 23m N–S and 10m E–W, open area trench was opened, all features identified

were planned and recorded, and a proportion excavated. A geophysical survey had already been undertaken in the field surrounding the trench and topographic work was extended across the area.

The excavations re-examined a series of ditch features first located in 2012, including a 9m wide and 2.8m deep ditch at the extreme S of the trench. A cut feature identified and dated to cAD260 was shown to be a similar dimension and shape to the northern ditch, and measured 9m wide by 2.7m deep. Five palisade slots were located, corresponding to those found in previous seasons, though it was now possible to fully identify

a final palisade that crossed a backfilled northern ditch, making the putative date for this feature some point after the 5th century AD (given the late date recovered from the ditch in the 2012 season).

A number of sherds of prehistoric ceramics were recovered from a tip layer within the southern ditch, which may date to the 3rd century AD. Charcoal obtained from this layer is currently being radiocarbon dated.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Rampart Scotland

Murray Cook and David Connolly – Rampart Scotland

(Source: DES)

connolly1-329785