Excavation

Date 2 August 2008 - 30 August 2008

Event ID 578454

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578454

HY 2365 1962 This project focuses on building landscape context for coastal erosive areas in zones affected by significant windblown sand. Work from 2–30 August 2008 built on the previous survey (2003) and survey and excavations (2004–7) at the Bay of Skaill, which concentrated on N bay environs and focussed on the mound on the N side of the bay known as the ‘Castle of Snusgar’, which was the probable site of the 1858 Skaill Viking silver hoard. Gradiometry showed a dense concentration of magnetic anomalies in the Snusgar

mound and neighbouring mounds. The concentration of multi-period ‘mound’ sites around the N of the Bay can now be expanded from one to at least five foci (excluding Broch of Verron, RCAHMS HY21NW 22).

The excavation area opened as a test trench in 2005 on the mound to the E of ‘Castle of Snusgar’, revealed Viking or Norse-period middens stratified over a well preserved stone building with in situ orthostatic internal divisions or ‘furniture’. This had filled with windblown sand, which contributed to a diffuse gradiometer response in 2004. This was further excavated in 2006–7 and extended in 2008.

A coherent spread of stone walls has now been revealed standing up to 0.5m high, with clearly defined internal

and external areas, stone flagged floors and entrances. Immediately to the N of the buildings exposed in 2005–7 (continued in 2008), the central section of a much larger bow-sided longhouse was exposed, with stone flagged floors, a central walkway and box benches at the sides. Strong evidence for spatial zoning in the character of deposits and a stub wall indicated the division between animal and domestic occupation. Finds and a coherent group of radiocarbon dates (SUERC, 2008) indicate a Viking/Late Norse date between

cAD 1000–1200, which has been confirmed by a series of OSL samples processed at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology, Oxford University.

Outside the buildings exposed in 2005–7 was a square ‘yard’ area which was heavily burnt and contained very large quantities of metalworking waste, ferrous and non-ferrous slag.

Bone preservation was good, and bone is currently being assessed by Dr I Mainland, Bradford University.

Environmental samples were floated and processed on site and are being assessed for archaeobotanic evidence and radiocarbon potential by Dr D Alldritt, Glasgow.

The finds are being conserved on behalf of Historic Scotland by AOC Conservation Services, Edinburgh.

A geophysical survey was begun at Marwick Bay (continuing).

Archive: Oxford University. Report: HS, Orkney SMR, Orkney Museum and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Historic Scotland and Oxford University

David Griffiths (Oxford University), 2008