Excavation

Date May 2016 - September 2016

Event ID 1040018

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1040018

NH 6557 4360 – NH 6499 4227 A watching brief and excavation were undertaken, May–September 2016, prior to and during reconfiguration of a golf course. Topsoil clearance revealed the remains of extensive multi-period occupation across the area, focused across the 30–50m OD

contours, overlooking the River Ness Valley to the E and Moray Firth basin to the NE.

Most of the features consisted of prehistoric pit groups and curvilinear ditch segments, the majority of which produced limited artefactual material – mostly quern stones, coarse prehistoric pottery sherds, pebble tools, occasional flint tools and struck flakes and rare iron objects. One small group contained an unusual carbonised seed or nutshell and a glass bead. Although substantially truncated, some of the pit groups contained possible structural remains, in particular half-circle alignments that may have formed open-sided timber structures. Sections of shallow ditches, possible enclosure features, were found to occur near pit groups in three locations on the site. One ditch was believed to contain upright timber posts.

While many of the pits were interpreted as hearths/firepits, there were individual prehistoric sites on the site that stood out. Keyhole or pear-shaped pits, thought to be large fire-pits or small kilns were found in several locations on the site. Two large sub-oval pits containing burnt lenses, one with worked pebble tools and one with burnt grain and iron

objects, were found in isolation in two different areas and are thought to represent cooking or industrial pits. Another large pit was interpreted as a disused standing stonehole and an area of sub-rectangular pits were interpreted as potentially medieval or later storage pits.

There were several significant structures uncovered on the site:

A burnt mound was represented by spreads of blacked soil and fire-cracked stone overlying a D-shaped boulder kerb that contained a collapsed stone tank.

A keyhole shaped, clay-lined grain-drying kiln survived mostly intact with collapsed burnt structural material representing two phases of use.

A perfectly shaped ovoid granite boulder set into a shallow pit for an unknown use.

A vertical, stone-built well located in isolation on low-lying ground.

The ruins of a small settlement, Balphadrig, were left in situ within the development area and a measured survey was conducted to create a record of the site. Two soakaway features were found close to the settlement site.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: The Highland Council

Mary Peteranna – AOC Archaeology Group

(Source: DES, Volume 18)