The Achavanich Beaker Burial project

In 2014, a project was set up to carry out new research on the burial found at Achavanich to learn more about the individual buried here, including their life, death and their community.

Numerous new pieces of research were carried out between 2015-2017 including:

- Radiocarbon dating of a sample of human bone and animal bone (carried out by SUERC and funded by the Natural History Museum, London and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland)

- Isotopic analysis of a second molar and a fragment of rib bone (carried out by Dr Jane Evans and team at the NERC Isotope Geoscience facilities and funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland)

- Pollen analysis from the inside and outside of the beaker (carried out by Dr Scott Timpany, University of the Highlands and Islands and funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland)

- Ancient DNA analysis of a sample taken from the cranium (funded and carried out by the Natural History Museum, London as a part of a larger research project)

- Bone histology (carried out by Dr Tom Booth)

- Facial reconstruction (carried out by Mr Hew Morrison)

- Osteological anaylsis of the skeletal assemblage (carried out by Angela Boyle, osteologist and burial archaeologist)

- Pottery analysis of the beaker (carried out by Dr Alison Sheridan and Dr Owain Mason)

- Archaeozoological analysis of the cattle scapula (carried out by Sheena Fraser)

- Laser scanning of the beaker, cattle scapula and majority of the human skeletal remains (cranium and beaker carried out by Adeola Fabola from St Andrews University, and human and animal remains by Josie Wallace and Xiangjun Liu, from the University of Edinburgh)

Information from Ms Maya Hoole (21/06/2017) project manager of the Achavanich Beaker burial project