Excavation

Date 30 June 2008 - 12 July 2008

Event ID 578542

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578542

ND 3426 8957 Evaluation excavations on a large grassy mound, c20m wide and 2.5m high, took place 30 June–12 July 2008. This represents the third phase of research into the Cantick area and continues the work of the late Judith Robertson, who undertook an archaeological landscape survey of the area in 2006 (DES 2006) and targeted geophysical surveys of the main features in 2007 (DES 2007). The mound had been assumed to represent a broch, but the geophysical survey did not indicate features typical of this type of structure. The

results suggested a squared internal setting perhaps more indicative of a Neolithic tomb or Norse stronghold. The 2008 work aimed to establish the date and character of the mound and place it within the multi-period landscape of Cantick.

A wedge-shaped trench (13m long x 1.5–4m wide) extending from the top of the mound down the S slope

revealed the central chamber and outer revetment walls of a Neolithic chambered tomb. The central chamber consists of two parallel internal corbelled wall faces that appear to form the upper part of a chamber oriented E/W. The chamber is c1m wide at the top and widens to 1.4m where excavations stopped at a depth of 0.9m.

The hollow visible in the top of the mound was confirmed as the result of unrecorded antiquarian excavations. The upper part of the chamber was filled with loose stony backfill which contained several pieces of probable Late Neolithic pottery and frequent small mammal bones, including the first identification of the Orkney vole on the island. It is unclear whether the roof was intact prior to the antiquarian excavations, but this seems unlikely from the quantity of backfill and spoil that surrounds the summit of the mound.

The mound surrounding the central chamber consists of a solid wall-like core with an external inward sloping revetment wall that survives to over 1m in height. The side of the mound consists of loose collapsed and slumped stony deposits which overlay the revetment walls. A second outer revetment wall was located 3m to the S of the main wall and may represent secondary consolidation of an already denuded mound.

A second small trench was opened on the E side of the mound and revealed the continuation of the main outer revetment wall, mound core and the top of a right-angled internal wall setting that is likely to relate to the central chamber and perhaps forms part of an entranceway or internal side cell. Limited excavation was carried out in this area and the position of the entrance was not established.

The chamber walls, mound core and external revetments are constructed from large water-worn beach slabs. Similar beach slabs have been used in the Later Neolithic chambered tomb at Quoyness, Sanday. The corbelled central chamber walls are typical of Maes Howe-type tombs that are generally assigned to the Late Neolithic.

Report: Orkney SMR and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Orkney Islands Council

Daniel Lee (ORCA), 2008