Excavation

Date 31 August 2009 - 23 September 2009

Event ID 608653

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/608653

HY 4375 2592 Excavation continued at the plough-damaged Early Neolithic settlement from 31 August–23 September 2009. Further investigation of House 3 (the stone built longhouse discovered in 2008) revealed a NW–SE oriented rectangular structure with rounded internal corners measuring c6.5 x 3.7m internally with central orthostatic divisions projecting from the walls and a slightly off-centre hearth. A quern stone was found in situ against one of the orthostats. The stone threshold for this building discovered last year relates to the main NE-facing entrance which is built into 1.4m wide stone walls. The southernmost wall of the house is narrower than the others at 0.75m and appears to be a dividing wall for a further room or structure to the S of House 3. An entrance leads between the main room of House 3 and this structure and an additional threshold,

also facing NE, forms an external entrance into this part of the building. It is not yet clear whether the further remains to the S of House 3 are contemporary with the main room, in which case the House consists of two ‘rooms’ built end-to-end like a but-and-ben, or whether they reflect an earlier phase of construction. House 3 was apparently robbed out in prehistory and the entrance was sealed with redeposited natural clay before large amounts of black midden were deposited over the paving to the E of the house. Excavation of the midden deposits exposed a scoop hearth associated with postholes and round-based pottery. This structure, House 4,

appears to have been partially respected by the later paving outside of House 3.

In Trench C, the post-built rectangular house (House 1) was fully excavated. This NW–SE oriented structure appears to have been rapidly dismantled and its posts removed before a stone-built rectangular house was constructed on the same footprint. The hearth from House 1 was not re-used and a new stone-built hearth occupied a slightly off-centre position in the new building. The NW-facing entrance was in the short end of House 2. Measuring from the entrance arrangement to the axial post assumed to be at the rear of the building, and from where the orthostatic divisions would be tied into the side walls, gives estimated internal dimensions of 6.5 x 3.7m for Houses 1 and 2. A small ditch with an external bank of redeposited clay natural ran around the SW of House 2 and appears to respect the footprint of that building. This ditch contained round-based pottery and truncated some of the postholes associated with House 1. With the exception of a fine example of a barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, which was recovered from the topsoil during de-turfing in Trench A, all of the artefacts from the site have been Neolithic in date.

Archive: Orkney SMR and RCAHMS

Funder: Orkney Islands Council, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, ORCA, Orkney College, the Flaws family, Orkney Archaeology Society and Andrew Appleby

Antonia Thomas – ORCA