Uncategorized Archives - Page 3 of 18

Photo of a Scottish Highlands landscape with a loch in the foreground and a mountain in the background.

Rediscovering a Lost Highland Community

In 1820, 5,000 years of occupation of a Highland settlement site – dating back to the late Neolithic era – came to an end with the Clearances by the MacKenzies of Coul.

Who Were the Vikings?

You may know that the Vikings weren’t all horned helmet-wearing warriors on dragon-headed longships

The Deskford carnyx is the head of an Iron Age trumpet. Found in the north-east of Scotland around 1816, it is a masterpiece of early Celtic art, shaped to resemble a wild boar with its upturned snout and decoration mirroring the folds of skin around a boar’s face. It is a complex composite construction, wrought from sheet bronze and brass.

Unearthing Scotland’s Musical Past Through Archaeology

Music has long been a thread woven into the fabric of Scottish culture, and archaeology offers a fascinating glimpse into the sounds that filled the air

Archaeologists Set Their Sights on a 300-year-old Highland Township, a Complex Coastal Settlement, and a Royal Castle

The Scotland Digs 2024 campaign is celebrating the country’s world-leading archaeology

Can I Get Involved in Scottish Archaeology If I Have a Disability?

If you’ve entered this query into a search engine in the past, you may well have felt that they’ve shortchanged you

Photo of a prehistoric stone circle in a field with snow-capped hills in the background

What are Statements of Significance?

What makes Skara Brae in Orkney so special? How do you look after a Cold War bunker? What else do we need to know about the Castle of Old Wick in Caithness?

People in historical costumes in front of a reconstructed building

Five Historical Building Reconstructions to Visit in Scotland (and Two to Watch Out For)

An Iron Age loch-dwelling, Pictish building, and 17th-century turf home are just some of the impressive structures

A woman with short brown hair and a blue fleece, crawling through a prehistoric stone corridor with a wide smile on her face.

Six Women in Scottish Archaeology You Need to Know

Women have played a key role in Scottish archaeology for centuries

Bowl of a silver spoon with a fish engraved inside

Scottish Artefacts as Astrological Signs

What’s your sign?

It is a frame and backplate of silver gilt decorative metalwork around a Bronze Age barbed and tanged flint arrowhead. The back of the frame is engraved with the initials I K(or perhaps R) and C S with a small floral embellishment below. The pendant dates to the Post-Medieval period, but the flint is much older, dating to the Early Bronze Age.

Magical Beliefs and Practices in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland: Why Does Archaeological Evidence Matter if We Have Written Records?

Written records contain a wealth of knowledge that help us better understand magical beliefs and practices in medieval (AD 400 to 1500) and early modern Scotland (1513 to mid-18th century).

Photo of a set of medieval metal weights and a scale

Boats, Brooches, and Swords: Five Viking Age Scandinavian Burials in Scotland

From Eilean Ì (Iona) to Shetland, Scotland has a spectacular Viking past. The Scandinavian seafarers who gave their name to the Viking Age (c. AD 750-1050) arrived in what we today call Scotland around 1,230 years ago.

Photo of a yellow and black scoop digger in a field piling up mounds of dirt

Halls, Swords and Spears: From Archaeological Evaluation to Excavation in Scotland

How do archaeologists know where to find archaeological sites, features and artefacts?