More pottery, whalebone and delving into middens
I have spent the last two-and-a-half weeks working in the area known as the broch “frontage”, led by Holly Young and digging alongside Anna, Elio, and Francesca.
This area is known for the whale vertebra and the Elder’s jawbone, which were excavated in 2016. The centrepiece of the “frontage” this season has been the immense midden deposit, from which we have excavated thousands of shells and many fragments of animal bones – along with the tooth of an elderly human and the remains of a whalebone vessel.
A midden is a general term used to refer to a dump of waste, often from domestic contexts such as the remains of kitchen waste.
While that might sound a bit unappealing, middens are extremely exciting deposits to excavate because of the wealth of finds and the valuable information that they can provide about the inhabitants of the site.
They help us answer questions such as what were the inhabitants eating? What can these meals tell us about their status within society?
Animal bone can teach us about which species were preferred by the Iron Age residents – would you rather beef or lamb for dinner? What cuts of meat did they enjoy (steak or ribs?) and whether the animals may have been used for more than just eating prior to their death.
As well as being an indicator of diet, the thousands of shells that have come out of the midden can provide insight into what the climate was like at the site and when in the year the shells were collected.
This analysis, which employs stable isotope analysis among other techniques, is being completed by Holly Young as part of her PhD research and will provide a really valuable perspective on what it was like to live at The Cairns during the Iron Age.
Just to the east of the broch “frontage”, Eileen, Minna, Dan, and Alicia, under the watchful eye of Sean, have been exploring the extent of the walls and paving of Structure O to help us understand how this structure relates to the surrounding features, such as the souterrain.
To their south, Katie, Zoe and Ole have been exploring some rubble and bone deposits on the edge of Structure E, while nearby, Mai, Clara, and Alfie have been revealing the walls of a building associated with Structure E.
It has been incredible to watch this corner of the excavation go from rubble to rounded walls in two weeks and I am excited to see how it continues!
Finally, Alannah, Coralie and Rick have been working hard in the broch revealing more and more floor layers while Tom continues to excavate the central hearth, where he has found plenty of animal bone.
After spending the morning cleaning and planning, the South-east Room of the broch has been gridded up with string ready to be excavated by Ian, Felix, and Amanda, which a nice piece of whalebone already being uncovered.
I am now coming to the end of my last week volunteering at The Cairns, but I am so thankful to be part of such a welcoming team of archaeologists. I look forward to my last few days of exciting finds, countless shells, and hopefully plenty of sunshine!
Chloe Stringer
Excavation volunteer and PhD student
