Numbers grow at the start of week two
What a busy start to the week with a large group of people arriving on site ready to work.
Progress continued across the broch frontage, with the continued removal of rubble deposits that reveal more of the broch wall to the north of the entrance passage.
Inside the broch, Thore and Graham undertook some planning in the west and north rooms, while the north-east room was uncovered and cleaned over to freshen up the rich peat-ash deposits.
We were joined by experienced archaeologist SJ and our own Associate Professor Scott Timpany. Both SJ and Scott are anthracologists (specialists in carbonised plant remains) and environmental sampling, which will feature substantially in this season’s excavations. A sample grid was set up in the north-east room and excavation will begin tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in Structure B2, planning was completed and a sample grid set up. A small team began excavating the occupation deposits across the interior of the building. Jan revealed a vibrant orange deposit in the grid to the north-east of the hearth, which is likely to represent peat ash raked out from this nearby central feature of the building.
Excavation of the midden outside the broch, adjacent to Structure E, continued apace today with Amy, Mila, Joanne, and Grace, revealing more of the broch outer wall in the process. This midden continues to produce copious amounts of animal bone and our star find of the day, recovered by Joanne, was a spindle-whorl made from an animal bone – specifically the head of a femur (the ball-joint)!
With an enlarged group of people on site from today onwards, we were able to prepare areas that will see further work in the coming weeks, including the cellular buildings to the south-east of the broch (Structure U). Rain crept in towards the end of the day and eventually we left site slightly early as the rain settled-in, but we will renew efforts tomorrow…
Amanda Brend
ORCA, UHI Archaeology Institute, and
area supervisor at The Cairns
