Excavation

Date 10 July 2011 - 29 July 2011

Event ID 963738

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/963738

NM 54200 70500 Excavations in Ardnamurchan by the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project began in 2006 and the project has excavated sites from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and post-medieval periods as part of our attempt to characterise the changing forms of occupation within Swordle Bay on the peninsula's northern coast.

The 2011 season, which ran from 10–29 July, saw the excavation of a Viking boat burial. This consisted of a boat shaped cut, 5.1 x 1.5m, containing good evidence of the boat itself (in the shape of 150+ rivets 3Dimensionally recorded) and multiple grave goods including an axe, a sword, a spear, a shield boss, a bronze ring pin, a knife, a possible rim of a drinking horn (bronze), a ladle-like implement, a whetstone, Viking grass-tempered pottery and many other pieces of iron we have yet to identify. Although the body had mostly rotted away, we were fortunate that a few fragments of bone and two teeth survived, confirming the presence of the body in the grave at the time of burial. This was totally unexpected, as were looking to excavate what looked like a clearance cairn, close to the Neolithic tomb of Cladh Aindreis. A full conservation and post excavation process is now under way.

Excavations continued at Coldstream Cottage where small trenches in four structures were excavated. These excavations recorded evidence for the reuse and abandonment of all four structures. At least two kinds of structure were present, which seem to date from two separate periods of occupation, Structure 1 being earlier than 2 4. More analysis is needed but it certainly seems to be the remains of one of the Swordle townships that were cleared in the 1850s. The finds from here were almost exclusively post-medieval. Structure 1 contained two sherds of potentially medieval pottery.

Test pits were excavated along the outcrop at Dun Mhurchaidh in order to uncover evidence of use and dating material. The test pits recorded some evidence for metalworking, slag, lots of burning etc, but no associated structures, other than two possible stone platforms. A posthole containing animal bones at its base was found next to one of these platforms. Towards the possible entrance, a putative ditch was uncovered in a test pit, sealed by a major burning event. The finds included polishing/burnishing stones, slag, an amber bead and part of a shale bracelet.

A series of test pits were also excavated along a wave-cut platform forming part of the Swordle Valley. These test pits revealed only a few finds of post-medieval date, identified within either topsoil or hillwash deposits. In addition, a trench was excavated across two dry stone wall field boundaries, to examine their construction and identify any possible earlier structural and dating evidence.

Archive: Highland HER, NMS and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Ardnamurchan Estate, Manchester University, Newcastle University, Prehistoric Society, CFA Archaeology Ltd, British Academy and Leverhulme Trust

Manchester University and Leicester University, 2011