From Stone Tools to Tartan: Archaeology Covering 6,000 Years of Scotland’s Past Attracts Thousands This Summer
Our Scotland Digs 2023: Free Days Out campaign showcased the country’s world-class archaeology and more than 20 free events from Shetland to Dumfries & Galloway.
From 21 June to 22 September, Scotland Digs 2023: Free Days Out compiled fieldwork updates and events which were open to everyone through social media and an online hub on the Dig It! website.
Our national campaign – now in its fifth iteration – was coordinated to help deliver Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy.
Over the summer, over 15,000 people volunteered at archaeological excavations and other fieldwork events, visited sites, and attended free tours and open days which were coordinated by a range of organisations, such as community groups, charities and universities, and advertised as part of the campaign.
No experience was required to take part in the advertised fieldwork activities which included digging, spoil sieving, finds cleaning and geophysical surveys. Coastal surveying and monitoring activities also helped record the impact of increased erosion on sites, which is being exacerbated by climate change.
Discoveries made during the summer ranged from Scotland’s Mesolithic to Modern time periods.
Evidence of stone tool manufacturing left by prehistoric hunter-gatherers over 6,000 years ago (4,000 BC), for example, was found at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms by a team from University College Dublin, University of Stavanger and Ghent University.
According to Professor Graeme Warren FSAScot, UCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, “small sites like ours, used for very short periods of time, are very hard to find and therefore rarely excavated. When we do find them, they offer remarkable insights into moments in the past and the ways in which hunter-gatherers lived in Scotland’s mountains.”
Throughout the dig, the public were invited to visit them on site and learn more.
Over 300 flint artefacts have now been found at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms as part of this project. Flakes like this were used for a wide range of tasks, with some being hafted together to make arrowheads, knives, etc. Analysis at University College Dublin will provide details about this particular artefact (Image Copyright: Shahbaz Majeed 2023)
In Stirling, an 18th-century dye house floor that had been raised four times was unearthed by Dr Murray Cook FSAScot of Rampart Scotland and volunteers at a Bannockburn site which has been labelled “the birthplace of the modern tartan industry”.
According to Dr Cook, “it was here that weaver William Wilson – of the famous William Wilson & Son of Bannockburn weaving firm founded c.1765 – ‘formalised’ patterns and linked them to families, creating what many now think are the clan tartans. Wilson and his family created a virtual monopoly and made millions, but it wasn’t without challenges. Our archaeological work this summer revealed that the internal floor of the dye house was raised four times – presumably to prevent flooding.”
According to Dr Cook, “at the bottom is the 18th-century slate floor and the material above is four successive floors to raise the level for flooding from the burn.” (Image Copyright: Dr Murray Cook FSAScot)
Fieldwork promoted as part of the campaign was also coordinated by the 1722 Waggonway Project, Ancrum & District Heritage Society, AOC Archaeology Group, Archaeology Scotland, Archaeology Shetland, Border Archaeological Society, Can You Dig It (Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership), Contin Community Council, Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society, Falkland Stewardship Trust, Govan Stones (Govan Old Parish Church), Haddington’s History Society, Historic Environment Scotland, Historic Hilton Trust, Kilmartin Museum, Ness of Brodgar Trust, Petardy Historic Landscape Project, SCAPE Trust, Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust, Till Valley Archaeological Society, UHI Archaeology Institute, University of Aberdeen, University of Edinburgh, Wessex Archaeology, Yarrows Heritage Trust, Yetholm History Society and more.
In addition, people were able to follow along online with posts on the Dig It! website and social media under the dedicated hashtag: #ScotlandDigs2023. This included updates from developer-led archaeology, which is undertaken as part of the planning process, for example, in advance of the building of new houses, schools or roads.
Dr Jeff Sanders FSAScot, Dig It! Project Manager at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said:
“At a time when value for money is particularly important, archaeology was able to offer thousands of people free ways to be physically active, connect with others, get outdoors and try something new this summer. But if you couldn’t take part in Scotland Digs 2023: Free Days Out, don’t worry! You can get involved in the discovery of Scotland’s stories all year round by exploring a range of budget-friendly archaeology events on the Dig It! website.”
Dr Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said:
“Dig It!’s annual Scotland Digs campaigns offer a fantastic opportunity for everyone and anyone to get hands-on experience and learn more about archaeology in Scotland. The Dig It! project remains one of the UK’s most accessible ways for diverse audiences to get their hands in the dirt and enjoy our oldest stories. There have been some remarkable discoveries this summer, and it’s been great to see lots of activities to follow online too. We’re pleased to have supported another successful Dig It! campaign and to see new communities and groups engage with our shared heritage.”
Want to keep exploring? Find your next event, dig into over 100 archaeology stories or sign up to the monthly Dig It! Digest.
Dig It! is coordinated by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and primarily funded by Historic Environment Scotland
Header Image: Archaeology in action at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms (© Shahbaz Majeed 2023)
