Past the half-way point…
As the tractor spreads muck on the fields surrounding us, wafting not-so-delicate smells over the broch walls, the archaeologists keep their heads down and trowels moving speedily along. Past the half-way point of our time here at The Cairns, there is more trowelling with a sense of urgency.
Kev’s newly revealed paving (left) and a pottery sherd from Structure O. (📷 Holly Young)
In Structure O, in front of the broch entrance, Kev and Holly are delighted to find a nicer paving below “the patio”. Kev is satisfied with his shovelling bottom as he continues to reveal more of what is happening in the approach to the broch.
Django continued to dig into a smooth clay context, discovering what is possibly a charred, woven wattle context.
Tim and the perforated bone mount he found in Structure T. (📷 Martin Carruthers/Holly Young)
In Structure T, Tim and Chip follow a drain channel from north to south, removing broch collapse. Tim reveals a large antler mount still with pegs in situ. Antler mounts are seemingly becoming a daily discovery!
In Structure K Sarah, Gill, Jamie, and James are lifting more “patios” of paved flooring, discovering masses of smaller stones, but revealing stone tools, pottery, a shell cache.
In Structure B2, Iain’s team of Anthea, Deryck, and Jan continue to work their way down around the hearth and orthostats, finding a burnt ash layer and stone tools. Shelly does the delicate work of cleaning an “associated bone group” (ABG), revealing a large terrestrial mammal, possibly horse with additional red deer antler in its midst.
Outside the south side of the broch, Bev works in Structure J, in a complex of structures with mysterious walls with cupboards, and a story yet to be understood. Next door, in Structure U, Matt works in a warm and quiet room working his way down to the flagstone, unable to hear the call for tea break!
Inside the broch’s north room, Rick discovers a sharp seal tooth. He works into the layer of earliest occupation deposit of the room, revealing the construction cut for the well, along with more stone tools, bone and pottery. On the other side of the well, Thore contentedly piles up his eight small sherds and two large sherds of a pot spread.
In the central room, Jean planned the slab floor in readiness for it being lifted to see what further occupation deposits lie below.
In the south room, Quin and Leila continue to peel back floor layers, finding fishbones, a stunning lower right side of a seal jaw, teeth still in situ. A stone lamp sits right next to a big red burnt patch, possibly suggesting the cause for nearby scorching on the broch wall.
In the north-east cell, Scott and SJ trowel away a greasy grey-blue deposit working out its stratigraphy and the depth of deposits. They joke that they have found the prison cell, or the toilet – either way, a tight spot.
In the west room Jem, and Kaz work into the vibrant red hearth deposit, leaving a baulk in its midst that will display the deposit layers. It starts to look like a Rothko painting. Declan does his drawing plans, context sheets, and waits for another day before removing the stone tools pressed against the orthostat and blocked by the bones of a large land mammal.
Kev’s finds-tent piling up with endless stone tools, pottery, and bone, neatly labelled by all the hard-working volunteers and students. Rain starts coming down, and the wind picks up, just in time for us all to head home and wash our muddy hands and knees.
Jemima Hall
UHI MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology student
