Cata Sands

HY 70440 39666 Excavations were undertaken, 28 February – 6 March 2016, at Cata Sands and mainly consisted of cleaning the windblown sand from a c5 x 8m area where remains of stone walling, orthostats and midden material had previously been observed on the foreshore at low

water in December 2015. These features were exposed on the S side of a dune tuft known as Grithies Dune. It has reduced considerably in size within living memory and it is likely the archaeological remains have recently been exposed. The remains of a hearth, two possible postholes,

walling and orthostats were revealed as a result of the cleaning along with a midden containing shell and bone. The cleaning also produced 41 artefacts including flint debitage, Skaill knives, coarse stone tools and pottery of a probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date. It was not possible to say from the basic cleaning whether the remains represent one or more structures.

A magnetometer survey of the foreshore around Grithies Dune showed that the occupation deposits covered a substantial area c18m in diameter. This may be suggestive of a settlement comprising several houses. Spreads of stone tools had also previously been observed on the gravel

ridges along the shore to the N of the Grithies Dune area. A total of 39 stone tools were recorded in a sample area of the foreshore and showed two discrete clusters. The magnetometer survey extended for 500m N of the Grithies Dune along the foreshore which covered the gravel ridges and stone tool clusters. However, it did not reveal any other areas of surviving occupation deposits.

Archive: NRHE (intended). Report: Orkney SMR and NRHE

Funder: Historic Environment Scotland

Colin Richards, Vicki Cummings, Jane Downes and Christopher Gee

(Source: DES, Volume 17)

HY 704 397 An excavation was undertaken, 14 August – 5 September 2017, which opened a trench over the geophysical anomaly next to the Grithies Dune on Cata Sand. We revealed the remains of an early Neolithic house, defined to the N by a thick wall. Within the house were floor occupation deposits. We also revealed the remains of at least three hearths: one was half-sectioned, another left unexcavated and the third fully excavated. The stonework for the latter had mostly been removed, and covered by later stonework. The hearths may, therefore, be representative of multiple reoccupations of the house, or perhaps the remodelling of the house over time. In this sense the remains at Cata Sand are probably a palimpsest of multiple occupation events. Several pits were explored to the S of the house and these contained occupation deposits. The northern extent of the house was covered by a thick deposit of midden which may be Late Neolithic or even later in date.

To the E and S of the house were two large linear pits cut into the sand. These contained multiple articulated whale remains. The eastern pit was excavated and up to 12 whales were discovered, although no skulls were recovered. We think that these may be the remains of whales caught in the 19th century for their blubber. An historical account records that there were multiple decomposing whale carcasses close to Tresness, the smell from which affected the area for miles around. They could have, therefore, been buried to get rid of the bodies and the smell.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: Orkney Islands Council

Vicki Cummings, Jane Downes, Chris Gee and Colin Richards – UHI

(Source: DES, Volume 18)

HY 704 397 In 2018 a team from UCLan and UHI returned to the Sanday to further explore the remains of a stone-built Neolithic domestic dwelling previously investigated in 2017. In 2018 a trench incorporating the house structure and associated deposits outwith the house was excavated. The remains of a large pit containing (modern) whale remains and cutting into the house was not excavated.

This season's work continued to explore the interior house floor deposits first revealed in 2017. These are associated with the remains of four separate stone hearths, one to the east, one to the west (and in the inter-tidal zone) and two superimposed in the centre of the structure. While the occupation deposits clearly represent multiple occupations of this structure, it has been impossible to separate these stratigraphically due to the nature of building on sand and working on a site in the inter-tidal zone. Nevertheless, it is possible to say with some confidence that this was a site which was occupied and remodelled at least four times, probably more. There are also hints of a primary wooden phase at this site as well as later, possibly Bronze Age, occupation here. While the construction of this site on sand makes for challenging archaeological excavations, it does mean that there is excellent bone preservation on the site, which is exceptional for an occupation site in Orkney. Large quantities of animal bone were recovered along with a stone tool assemblage.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: Orkney Islands Council

Vicki Cummings – University of Central Lancashire and UHI

(Source: DES Vol 20)