Human tooth found outside the broch entrance
It’s been my first week in Orkney, and digging on site, and it has been colourful.
Although today was cloudy, it was a relief for me and the crew after previous days filled with hours of working under the sweltering sun.
Additionally, it’s been amazing to see everybody working together on spaces and areas that reveal how people lived inside and outside of the broch, even after its decommissioning.
I have also been learning about the techniques used to understand and organise the site for future potential analysis, archives and publication, such as writing context sheets and soil analysis.
Today I was among those excavating Structure E – its relatively hard soil and cobble-like nature making progress difficult. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to find any objects of interest, but, in the adjacent cell to my right, there were more animal bones found – probably a deer. Butchery marks suggests this may be an area used for butchering.
To my left, the wall, which was thought to be connected to my cell, actually curves – possibly leading to a roundhouse or a room connected to a larger structure. We also found half of a stone tool that seems to be unfinished. Overall, we hope that, with good progress, we will find more objects under the rubble – although it’s hard to say how far the infill goes.
In other parts of the site, it’s been exciting.
Inside the broch, the North Room has been gridded and is slowly, and carefully, being excavated to reveal what lies in the floor/occupation deposits. During this work a wonderfully preserved whale vertebra was found.
Contemporary with other whale piece in the broch, it seems this community had access to lots of whales – either for food, ceremony, trade, craft. Or all of the above.
A massive slab was also removed from the Central Room and under it were bits of pottery and querns.
Meanwhile, cleaning over the South-East Room brought out vivid red, orange and black colours in the clay floor, indicating where a hearth was located. Maybe the area’s purpose will be discovered in future weeks.
Paving has been found underneath Structure F, with the thick, stone slabs slowly being turned over. Bones and discoloured, charred stones have been found, indicating fire, perhaps related to the decommissioning of the settlement.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the broch a human tooth – a molar – was found today. On its own this could lead us further into the diet of the community and also provide a glimpse into the life of its owner. For example, if the tooth has wear or damage which could indicate diet type or trauma.
At the conclusion of the day, and the end of week two, we all took a commemorative photo together as many of the fieldschool students, and some of the volunteers, are leaving the site.
As I went around the broch, I got the feeling everyone really enjoyed their time on site – not only as a learning experience but also as a way to connect with other similarly passionate archaeologists. I cannot wait to meet the group arriving next week!
Felix Taggart
Volunteer
