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10 Ground-Breaking Discoveries: What was Unearthed During Scotland’s 2019 Dig Season?

10 Ground-Breaking Discoveries: What was Unearthed During Scotland’s 2019 Dig Season?

A “Viking drinking hall” and bloodstone blade are among the most intriguing finds from the summer.

From June to September each year, dozens of excavations take place across the country as archaeologists and volunteers take advantage of the longer days and softer earth.

Archaeology is all about discovering stories – and these finds represent some of the most fascinating new pages in Scotland’s saga:

Bloodstone blade on Islay

The remains of Dùn Naomhaig (Dunyvaig Castle) are predominately late-medieval, but its foundations are undoubtedly much earlier and it may have been constructed on top of a prehistoric dun or fort.

However, one find from their 2019 dig takes us even further back. A student unearthed a bloodstone blade, which may have been used by hunter-gatherers almost 10,000 years ago. Large numbers of artefacts made from this workable material have been found on the nearby island of Rùm, not far from Islay.*

Human Arm Bone from the Ness of Brodgar

Along with a handful of other intriguing discoveries, a human bone was found in a 5,000-year-old “temple-like” building in Orkney. It’s unusual, as they haven’t unearthed many human remains at this settlement and it seems to have been deliberately placed under a wall.

According to the site director, it seems to be from the lower arm (possibly of a young woman) and it “may have been a kind of votive deposit”, such as an offering or dedication. Analysis of the bone may reveal more details about the woman, including her height, health, diet and age.

Prehistoric flint blade from Staffa

The island of Staffa became famous for its basalt columns after a naturalist shared his observations from his visit in 1772 – but thanks to a single burnt grain of hulled barley excavated by National Trust for Scotland archaeologists, we now know that people were visiting and likely living on the island thousands of years ago.

Only a few days after the story broke, this blade was unearthed. These objects were struck from stone cores before being used as tools over 3,700 years ago.

Swandro’s 2,500-year-old Seal Tooth Pendant

A pendant made from a seal’s tooth which is thought to have been worn around 2,500 years ago was among the finds made at the Knowe of Swandro in Orkney. The coastal site was “essentially an Iron Age village” and finds such as these “really tell a lot about how people were living here in the past”.

The team is due to return to dig in 2020, but it’s unlikely that all of the settlement remains will have survived as the archaeology “is extremely vulnerable to the changes in sea level due to climate change”.

‘1,400-year-old cemetery’ from an t-Eilean Dubh (the Black Isle)

Towards the end of the summer dig season, it was announced that archaeologists had confirmed the presence of a number of barrows (burial mounds) on a peninsula in the Highlands: a “possible Pictish barrow cemetery”.

Archaeologists and volunteers working with Tarradale Through Time also found enclosures of varying sizes and other features that could date much further back into the prehistoric period. It’s hoped that charcoal and bone samples could be used to help “tell the story of the site over time”.

‘Viking Drinking Hall’ from Rousay

A farmstead in Orkney went viral when a large Norse hall was discovered by a team from the UHI Archaeology Institute. The impressive structure beneath Skaill Farmstead probably dates to the 10th to 12th centuries and the name Skaill – a Norse word for “hall” – suggests that the site was high-status and could have been used for drinking and celebration.

Stone walls, benches, pottery and a fragment of a Norse bone comb (pictured above) were also found during the excavation.

Evidence of metalworking from Tap o’Noth

One of Scotland’s most spectacular hillforts was set on fire over 2,000 years ago, but that doesn’t mean everything was destroyed. While exploring the large defences – with “over 100 hut platforms before the main fort” – archaeologists in Aberdeenshire found “lovely pottery” and moulds for making pins.

They’re hoping that they’ll be able to prove that the site was reused a few hundred years later during the Pictish period.

Suspected bishop’s palace in Ancrum

In September, archaeologists descended upon the Scottish Borders to search for a medieval bishop’s palace. Although no upstanding remains are visible, maps and historic documents suggest that the field adjacent to the village of Ancrum was the site of William de Bondington’s home in the 13th century.

William was reportedly one of the most important royal officials during the reign of King Alexander II and it’s been said that this find would put Ancrum at the “very centre of medieval religion and politics” in high-medieval Scotland.

Locals have “always known that there that there was a building or buildings in the field” and previous excavations have turned up masonry, pottery shards and musket balls. “Substantial masonry walls” were uncovered during the first couple days, so it looks promising.

“Lost” East Lothian Castle

The imposing Morham Castle overlooked a secluded river valley over 800 years ago but was “gone without a trace” by the 18th century, although the position is marked on several historic maps. Thanks to the work of archaeologists and volunteers, a wall which may have belonged to this “lost” residence was unearthed in September.

It was “at least 2m thick at its widest point and appears to have belonged to a large rounded tower or stair tower”; suggesting that it could have once formed part of the castle. As reported in the Whiteadder: Historic Heart of the Lammermuirs blog post, finds from the rubble and mortar layer also suggest occupation of the site from the 12th to the 18th century which would match the historical records. 

It’s hoped that analysis of the finds and radiocarbon dates obtained from the samples will confirm the dates.

Possible pub remains in Gleann Comhann (Glencoe)

Archaeologists with the National Trust for Scotland believe they found the remnants of an old inn while excavating the remains of three settlements during the summer. The villages were abandoned due to forced eviction during Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal (the Highland Clearances) in the 18th and early 19th century.

According to one of the archaeologists, “one of the buildings has got a little yard in front of it. We think that this is where people put their horses before they popped in for a drink.” They also found Manganese mottled ware (traditionally used to create tankards and drinking goblets) and fragments of glass bottles nearby.

This list is by no means exhaustive; salt pans were excavated in Cockenzie, medieval glass and pottery was discovered at Aden Country Park, a flint core management flake was found at the National Trust for Scotland’s Threave Estate, coins were recovered from Cammo Estate, and medieval pottery and animal bone were unearthed at Wemyss Caves.

For the first time, the summer excavations were collated through a social media campaign coordinated by Dig It!. Members of the public were able to track digs across the country by following posts on Twitter and Instagram under the dedicated hashtag: #ScotlandDigs2019.

From 21 June to 23 September, Dig It! publicised over 30 public-facing excavations. Many of these digs will return in 2020 and will once again be open to members of the public thanks to free tours, open days and training opportunities.

Dig It! also advertises archaeology walks, talks, tours, exhibitions, displays and activities throughout the year. To find an event near you, visit DigItScotland.com/Events

Image credits: @HannekeHeritage via @Staffa2019, @UHIArchaeology and @islayheritage 

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