What’s Been Uncovered: Scotland’s Summer Dig Season | 2019
Scotland’s summer dig season was full of fascinating finds. You can dig into all of the action with #ScotlandDigs2019, the headlines below or our list of 10 ground-breaking discoveries.
GROUND-BREAKING NEWS
Which Scottish archaeology news stories hit the headlines?
Large ‘1,400-year-old cemetery’ uncovered in Highlands: What could turn out to be one of Scotland’s largest Pictish burial grounds is being excavated on the Black Isle in the Highlands (11 September, BBC)
Stone Age hunter-gather camp found at Berriedale Braes: Work to improve a notorious hairpin bend on the A9 in the Highlands has revealed the site of a Mesolithic hunter-gatherers’ camp with finds such as stone tools possible dating from 6,000 BC (29 August, BBC)
Detectorist uncovers coin haul from 14th century Roslin battle: Archaeologists are investigating whether a haul of silver coins discovered by a metal detectorist in Midlothian are the remnants of one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on British soil (26 August, The Scotsman)
Rare 1,200-year-old Pictish stone found near Dingwall: A stone carved by Picts 1,200 years ago which had been used as a grave marker in the 1790s has been discovered at an early Christian church site in the Highlands (23 August, BBC)
Pictish occupation of Aberdeenshire hill fort confirmed: Radiocarbon samples have confirmed that Picts were using a fort – featuring an upper and lower rampart surrounding a “spectacular” granite rocky outcrop – on one of the highest peaks in Bennachie (a range of hills in Aberdeenshire) over 1,200 years ago (BBC, 22 August)
Archaeologists find human arm bone at Ness of Brodgar in Orkney: The bone was found in a 5,000-year-old “temple-like” building and is being called an “unusual” find, as they haven’t unearthed many human remains and it seems to have been deliberately placed under a wall (BBC, 21 August)
Haul of hundreds of hunter gatherer tools sheds light on Scotland’s earliest residents: The discovery of 700 pieces of stone tool used by hunter gatherers up to 12,000 years ago has shed new light on some of Scotland’s earliest residents (The Scotsman, 8 August)
Archaeologists find ‘Viking drinking hall’ during Orkney dig: The site at Skaill Farmstead is believed to date back to the 10th Century and may have been used by the chieftain Sigurd (BBC, 6 August)
Archaeologists discover ancient pub in ‘lost township’: Experts have been examining the remains of three villages in the Scottish Highlands (STV, 1 August)
Discovering the secrets hidden away in the Wemyss Caves: Archaeologists and volunteers have made some exciting discoveries digging into the history of the Wemyss Caves, including medieval pottery and animal bone (Fife Today, 18 July)
Mystery behind Paisley Abbey’s medieval tunnel solved: Following an eight-week dig over the summer, a team of archaeologists have painstakingly uncovered a well-preserved 14th century stone archway marking the exact point the drain and its contents once flowed into the river (STV News, 18 July)
‘Stunning’ decorated Neolithic stone discovered in Orkney: Archaeologists have uncovered what they describe as a “stunning example” of Neolithic decorate stone in Orkney (BBC, 18 July)
Bones and wall uncovered at clifftop fort in Aberdeenshire: A large stone wall, charcoal and bones have been uncovered at an ancient clifftop fort in Aberdeenshire. They were found by archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen who were excavating the site as part of the Northern Picts project (BBC, 3 July)
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Header: Volunteers digging at the National Trust for Scotland’s Threave Estate as part of the Galloway Glens LP community archaeology project (Image credit: @GglpArchaeology)
