Note

Date February 2017

Event ID 1038180

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Note

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1038180

Archaeology InSites

A large and complex monument

Its story starts in the early Neolithic, when it appears the land was being used for cultivation and agriculture, likely over a continued period. Then at some point in the early Bronze Age - possibly around 4150 years ago - a henge was constructed as well as a circular stone setting. Six stones survived until 1855, when the site was first excavated, but now only three of them remain. After the construction of the henge and stone circle, the site became a place of burial. Six Bronze Age cremation burials were discovered during the original excavations placed at the base of each of the six standing stones. One of these burials included a decorated, perforated sandstone battle axe; two others were contained within inverted cordoned urns and one was positioned in a small circular cist. In addition, a collection of burnt bones was found in the middle of the stone circle, underneath which was another cist containing skeletal remains and a cremation burial. Two more cremation burials were found elsewhere in the circle: one of these was also inside an inverted urn. Interestingly, it seems that the bones of a small animal, possibly a bird, were mixed in with the various cremation deposits.

A small cemetery containing four more Bronze Age cists, this time associated with beakers, were found a few hundred yards to the south of the henge. Two of these burials were larger than normal and contained double burials. The individuals appear to have been covered with ox hides and accompanied by beakers. One contained a ladle made from the horn of an animal. In addition to the henge and stone circle, a great stone avenue once ran across the whole site, but it was broken up - by the use of gunpowder - during the 19th century. Only three of these stones survive to this day. To the north of the henge you can find three concentric circles of stones with a small cairn at the centre which may have once been a recumbent stone circle, but which was sadly destroyed during quarrying activity. In the most recent phase of excavation in 2007, an almost circular setting of wooden posts, possibly a timber circle, was discovered just outside the entrance of the henge. It appears that this site must have been considered a place of great importance for so many different monuments and burials to have been created and deposited here. It is possible that the Bronze Age burials were that of family groups or communities who were burying their loved ones here, at a place of obvious significance, to demonstrate their high status.

Continued use

However, that is not the end of the sites story. At the centre of the circle is a stone which has been carved with a Pictish symbol dating to around 600 AD. The symbol depicts a beast and a crescent. However, this stone was not placed here during the early medieval era, but was moved here for safe keeping during the 19th century. The excavators from 1855 also left their mark on the site. Buried amongst the backfill were two glass bottles – one a whisky bottle – containing some interesting finds. The excavators had carved their names and the date of the excavation (13th and the 22nd of November 1855) on to thin slivers of window glass and placed them inside. These were accompanied by a newspaper showing the train timetable from that same month.

This site, although we believe it mainly dates to the Bronze Age, beautifully demonstrates the complexities of archaeology. Sites don’t always sit in isolation, but are used and re-visited by many generations making for a wonderfully complex and diverse story.

Maya Hoole - Archaeology InSites project manager