Covesea Cave 2

NJ 1739 7058 Excavation was undertaken in Covesea Cave 2 (the Deer Cave) over two weeks in May – June 2018 as part of the Covesea Caves Project, following successful field seasons in May 2014 (DES 2014: 135) and September 2015 (DES 2015: 124). Previous work has provided evidence for complex Late Bronze Age funerary activity rites but has also demonstrated the presence of Neolithic, Early Bronze Age and Iron Age activity.

Excavation in 2018 was prompted by the discovery a new chamber (the Wolf Chamber), at the rear of Cave 2 in 2017; a substantial chamber, accessed via a low passage at the rear of the main chamber, measuring some 26 x 6.4m. The floor of the chamber had been recently disturbed near its entrance but the interior otherwise appeared substantially intact, with a surface scatter of animal remains including seal and possible wolf bones, as well as domesticates (sheep) and a preponderance of bird remains.

Trench 5 was positioned at the rear of the main chamber extending through the passage into the Wolf Chamber (overall dimensions of 3.5m E/W by 4.8m N/S). The cave roof lowered sharply from the N part of the trench to the entrance to the Wolf Chamber in the S. As in previous seasons, evidence for human activity, probably indicating Late Bronze funerary activity, appeared close to the surface, including human remains and objects of copper alloy, flint and quartz. Given the proximity to the modern ground surface, some intrusive material, including iron objects, can be identified in certain areas, notably within the passage to the Wolf Chamber, where deposits become very mixed. Nonetheless, in situ Late Bronze Age deposits were extensive and included stakeholes and a small pit filled with animal and bird bone from a wide range of species and centred on a large fragment of human pelvis. Indeed, despite being located in a cramped area with a low cave roof, the overall concentration of human remains and other finds from Trench 5 appears comparable to those in more central areas of the cave (ie as found in Trenches 1, 2 and 4; DES 2015: 124). Finds included several worked bone objects, a fragment of copper alloy, an iron object, and small assemblages of worked flint, coarse stone and pottery.

These deposits appears to respect the entrance to the Wolf Chamber, suggesting that the passage was either deliberately left clear during the Late Bronze Age, to allow access into the Wolf Chamber, or that constant movement in this area (which would have involved crawling between the chambers) prevented deposits from accumulating.

Trench 8, measuring 2m E/W by 1m N/S, was laid out within the Wolf Chamber in order to characterise the deposits and trace any potential extension of Late Bronze Age activity into this dark and cramped area of the cave. Excavation revealed a series of anthropogenic deposits, principally in the form of relatively thin lenses, indicative of individual depositional events, contrasting with the relatively deep, organic-rich layers of the main chamber. Nonetheless, human and animal bones were found within the Wolf Chamber, suggesting that it was used for both mortuary activity and for the consumption and/or processing of animals. Other finds were limited to a small assemblage of pottery. A large pit against the E wall of chamber appears to have been cut from near the modern surface and may be relatively recent, though its purpose is unclear.

Two small (c1m2) trenches (6 and 7) were also opened over areas of recent (post 2015) disturbance against the E wall of the main chamber; both yielded small finds assemblages (including human remains) characteristic of the main chamber deposits, and thus suggest that human activity extended across the main chamber.

A programme of terrestrial laser scanning was also conducted in 2018, primarily to digitally capture the Wolf Chamber, which had been unknown at the time of initial laser scanning in 2014.

Archive: University of Leicester and University of Bradford (currently) and NRHE (intended)

Funder: HES and Aberdeenshire Council

Ian Armit and Lindsey Büster – University of Leicester and University of Edinburgh

(Source: DES Volume 19)