Artefact and Palaeo—environmental Work 2004
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Following on from the excavation seasons, a phase of preliminary
post-excavation analysis operates each year. This work is undertaken in
order to catalogue fully all artefacts, ecofacts and soil samples recovered
during the archaeological fields schools and permit preliminary analysis
of important assemblages of material during the lifetime of the project.
This year the focus has been on the cataloguing of all finds from the 2003 season, and processing of all archaeo-botanical samples recovered from the 2002, 2003 and April 2004 seasons. This has permitted specialists to begin work upon some of the assemblages and allowed a suite of radiocarbon dates to be submitted for a range of sites excavated during the period. In addition, work has also been undertaken in the preliminary assessment of waterlogged samples recovered during this year's underwater archaeology season. |
|
|
Montane cloudberry plant |
The finds work has focussed principally upon the pottery and glass assemblages, with some interesting initial results. The preliminary findings from the analysis of the ceramic wares by George Haggarty seems to suggest that the overwhelming picture is that the assemblages from the 2002 and 2003 seasons are dominated by vessels produced in the 19th century. Although this is unsurprising for sites like Kiltyrie farmstead (which dates from the post—1790 period), it is somewhat unusual for the site at Balnreich (which appears on Farquharson's plan of 1769). The implication may be that industrial wares from Scottish potteries were not traded in any quantities along North Loch Tayside until the start of 19th century. Further work on the pottery and glass may allow this to be confirmed in the near future. | |
| The preliminary analysis of the archaeo—botanical samples provides a glimpse of the environment at a range of sites in the arable and upland zones. Samples from Croftvellick, Blarmore, Tombreck and Kiltyrie contained significant quantities of anthropogenic scrub woodland taxa, as expected in a landscape so extensively manipulated in the recent past. The slant is towards highland landscape resources, with birch predominating. Evidence for major trees is minimal. Finds of spruce/larch from Balnreich concur with planting records of these taxa for the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. Evidence for food plants is not significant. The few cereals recorded were of six—row barley, as expected for sites of this age on mainland Scotland. The results also indicate that gathered wild fruits and hazel nuts played at least some part in the diet. Collectively, the carbonised assemblages indicate an open, mainly pastoral landscape. | ||
Montane cloudberry seeds recovered from Milton of Morenish crannog |
Some significant contrasts exist between the remains from the lowland settlement sites and the high altitude site at Meall Greigh. As expected, heather type resources predominated the upland samples examined and would have been used for numerous purposes, from structural use to fuel or bedding. Food plants were also more abundant on Meall Greigh, including six-row hulled barley, numerous hazel nutshells and a garden pea. All of these items can be stored for consumption during the summer transhumance periods and the pea is a rare find in Scottish archaeology. | |
| In addition to this, the preliminary assessment of the waterlogged organic samples taken from three crannogs in Loch Tay (Morenish, Milton Morenish & Tombreck) revealed significant amounts of plant macrofossils relating to occupation. The sample from Milton Morenish in particular, contained an extremely diverse plant assemblage, including a range of domestic occupation and food processing waste. The preliminary results indicate domestic occupation and the utilisation of cultivated and wild resources from both local and wider ranging sources, including traded items. Flax, emmer and spelt wheat and hulled six—row barley indicate a relatively wealthy economy, and seeds of the rare, montane cloudberry suggest summer transhumance may have been practiced. The results are suggestive of high status domestic occupation sites from the later prehistoric or early historic period. | A selelction of nineteenth century pottery from excavations |
|
John Atkinson & Jennifer Miller
GUARD [External]
