Archaeological Evaluation

Date August 2005

Event ID 1043347

Category Recording

Type Archaeological Evaluation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1043347

NS 023 307 Cist cemetery. A programme of archaeological investigative works commenced with an additional evaluation in August 2005 (see DES 2004, 90) and concluded with the excavation in October 2005 of an area centred on a short cist located by the preceding evaluation. This excavation, on the playing field to be developed for the new

Arran High School, exposed a small cist cemetery.

The cemetery appears to be formed of a central heavily stoned cist surrounded by three close-in satellite inverted urns and a possible robbed-out cist (pottery and disturbed stones recovered). Another small cist was within 5m of the dominant cist. An inverted urn to the S and an emptied cist to the NE were at a greater distance from the centre. These are interpreted as outliers given the six central funerary features.

Cremated human bone survived well (from the inverted urns) but no unburnt human bone was identified on site. Four inverted urns were recovered and pottery funerary vessels were also recovered from two of the four cists. The large central cist also contained a retouched flint blade.

No surviving bounding feature was noted: either a topographic or vegetative marker may have been the focus of this burial group.

Report to be lodged with WoSAS SMR.

Sponsor: Educational Services, North Ayrshire Council.

R Shaw, Rathmell Archaeology, 2005.