Excavation

Date 2 August 2009 - 31 August 2009

Event ID 608567

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/608567

HY 56971 28987 A third season of work at this Neolithic settlement site took place 2–31 August 2009. The main

aims were to sample the occupation layers in Structure 1, a Neolithic building, to examine further the area beyond the building and to expose more of Structure 2 to determine its nature and extent.

The 2008 trench was re-opened and the NE, SW and SE sides outside of Structure 1 were excavated down to natural boulder clay. This revealed a further five pits in addition to the four noted in 2008. Four of these contained cultural material of which three showed evidence of structured deposition.

Within Structure 1, the area NW of the hearth in the SE room was also excavated down to the natural. The occupation deposits here were taken down in layers and bulk sampled within a 0.5m square grid. These residues and additional soil samples are currently awaiting analysis.

There was a shallow runnel cut into the natural running SW from the hearth down towards and out through the

probable entrance of the building. The fire-cracked stones in the SW end of the hearth were removed, revealing what appeared to be a V-shaped arrangement of stones forming a channel that ran under the hearth and into the runnel. No further work was possible on this feature.

A small sandstone saddle quern was found placed face down in a scoop under the hearth in the NW room of the building together with a quartzite rubbing stone. They were found beneath damaged and displaced stones, apparently from the hearth, and it is not clear whether they were placed here prior to the use of the hearth or later as a possible act of closure. They do not show any evidence of having been in contact with heat.

The trench was extended to the E and an area of c25m2 was stripped of ploughsoil. It now appears that Structure 2 is probably another building, but smaller than Structure 1, although its full extent remains to be seen.

Part of a polished stone axe was found in the ploughsoil. It had been broken and the blade end fashioned so that it could be stood with the blade upright. A fragment of a polished granite macehead was also recovered from the ploughsoil. Other finds from the site included a range of coarse stone tools, a small quantity of pot sherds similar to the largely undecorated Grooved Ware found in previous seasons, and a large quantity of worked and un-worked flint.

Funder: BEVARS

Mick Miles – BEVARS