A beautiful day on a marvellous site
Today was the warmest day yet at The Cairns, with Windwick Bay looking beautiful in the sunshine.
In structure K, the J Team – James, Joanne and Jamie – were working in the south-west corner, clearing out infill from the wall down to floor level. James thought there may be evidence indicating a second phase. Finds included metalworking slag, worked stones, part of the jaw of a juvenile horse.
In Structure T’s cell T2, Iris has been cleaning a floor and found some animal bones concentrated in the corner of the structure. Chip working in cell T1 spent the day photographing, planning and completing a context sheet for the large paving stones, which are about to be removed.
Above him, on the wall of Structure T, Craig and Sam have begun working down the mass of overlying soils that need to be dropped to the same level as the Structure T wall.
In the main part of Structure T, Tim has been recording an assemblage of bones and a stone tool. This appears to have been deposited below the shell midden he was excavating yesterday.
In Structure O, Logan and Alisha are bulk sampling a deposit of ashy material, while Anna’s first day excavating (ever) involved cleaning the floor in the south-eastern corner of Structure O.
To the west of the broch entrance, Kev has been breaking down massive rubble stones to establish that the paving continues below. He also uncovered a great find of an antler bone with a perforation at one end.
Immediately adjacent to the broch entrance, Bev is cleaning an area which has a lot of stone tools situated at the base of the broch wall. This area has also produced animal and fish bones and some pottery sherds, including a piece with a squared, dimple decoration.
Kev and the perforated bone mount. (📷 Hollu Young/Rick Barton)
Outside the broch, on the opposite side, Iain, Deryck and Anthea are excavating back burnt deposits to the north of the hearth, to hopefully reveal another occupation layer. The deposits here are really vibrant bright red clay and have contained stone tools.
Still outside the broch, on the south-eastern side, Lauren has been excavating round large stones in Structure J to establish if they are part of a wall or merely rubble.
In the next cellular structure over, U3, Mary has also been cleaning back rubble. Ole is managing these later structures and has been removing rubble around the “cocktail cabinet”. The guys are keen to see what lies beneath all the rubble in this area.
Moving into the broch itself, in the south room, Quin has been carefully excavating around what was initially thought to be some articulated bones, but which has turned out to be a single bone. He’s also found degraded shell deposits, pottery pieces, and a possible quern fragment.
In the north-east room, Liz has been removing waterlogged deposits in the west corner, revealing stone tools and beneath these, a large mortar or knocking stone with a worn hollow. An assemblage of stones adjacent to the hearth has also become evident today. Scott is cleaning up deposits in the north cell of this room in preparation for full excavation soon.
In the north room, Val is continuing to excavate and sample the hearth. Thore is excavating a large deposit of pottery in the eastern corner, having previously excavated an interesting pot in the opposite corner which must be an early deposit, indicated by its position relative to the floor. There is a complicated sequence of layering and deposits in this room to be disentangled.
In the west room, Declan, Jem, Mabli, and Kaz have been continuing to sample the layers in the doorway, round the hearth and in the pit, looking at the deposits below floor level. Mabli has uncovered small bone fragments and rodent teeth. Declan has found animal bones, teeth, and a possible stone tool, or quern fragment, in the doorway.
In the south-east room, inside the broch door, James has been cleaning next to a mysterious void to try and establish what it is. Amanda has excavated a socket setting possibly for a post that supported wooden furniture to the east of the hearth. One of the stones forming side of the setting was a piece of stone pot lid. Amanda also excavated the base layer in the hearth.
Let’s hope for equally beautiful weather tomorrow!
Karolyn Wellings
UHI M.Litt. Coastal and Maritime Societies and Cultures
