Today’s excavation update from the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute’s Dan Lee.
Red sandstone fragment at the Wirk confirms its place as a high-status site
It’s day two at Skaill and the Wirk and we welcomed the sunshine back.
At Skaill, the post-medieval farm buildings in Trench Nineteen were cleaned and preparations made to half-section the floor in the southern room.
The last of the backfill was removed from Trench Twenty-Two and the black Norse midden is once again revealed. Tomorrow, we’ll start extending the trench a bit to the north.
A lovely lattice patterned bone knife-handle was found in Trench Five, in an upper layer. It looks to be saw cut.
At the Wirk, the substantial walls in both trenches are looking impressive! Trench Two was extended to the south to expose the wall edge – 1.8 metres wide!
A finely moulded fragment of red sandstone has been exposed in rubble nearby which is further evidence of a high-status site.
The edge of a possible doorway was revealed in Trench One, with a wall heading upslope to the east.
The Wirk is Scheduled Ancient Monument, so we have had to get permission from Historic Environment Scotland to excavate and we are working to an agreed project design. Thankfully trenches have revealed what we were aiming for and it will be interesting to excavate down the sides of the walls over the next few days.
Hopefully we will find some in situ deposits left by Storer Clouston in the 1920s to sample.
Fab fines. Hope to get down at the weekend. Helen