Burn of Swartigill excavation 2021 – week one update
We are one week into this season’s excavation at the Burn of Swartigill, Caithness, and it’s time for an update on progress on site.
Category: Swartigill
Burn of Swartigill excavation 2021 – the site from above
With the second week of excavation at the Burn of Swartigill, Caithness, getting under way today, here are a few photographs of the Iron Age site from last week.
Archaeologists resume excavation at Caithness Iron Age site next week
On August 23, 2021 archaeologists from the UHI Archaeology Institute, aided by volunteers, will return to the Burn of Swartigill Iron Age site in Caithness. Ahead of the 2021 excavation season, Rick Bartongives us an update on the project so far.
Excavation team returning to Swartigill Iron Age site on August 23
The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, in partnership with the Yarrows Heritage Trust, are preparing for a fifth season of excavation at the Burn of Swartigill in Thrumster, Caithness.
Swartigill dig – week three
The community archaeology excavation at the Burn of Swartigill is now nearing completion for this season.
The dig is organised by the Yarrows Heritage Trust, in collaboration with the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute and ORCA Archaeology. Rick Barton, project officer with ORCA, talks us through the finds of the week…
Swartigill dig – week one
The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, in partnership with the Yarrows Heritage Trust and ORCA Archaeology, have completed their first week of excavation at the community dig, near the Burn of Swartigill.
Excavation begins at Caithness Iron Age site
The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, in partnership with the Yarrows Heritage Trust, are preparing for a fourth season of excavation at the Burn of Swartigill in Thrumster, Caithness, Scotland.
Final week starts at Swartigill Dig
We are into the last week of the excavations at the Burn of Swartigill in Caithness, and we have achieved all our key objectives for this season.
Swartigill dig update
We are approaching the halfway point of this season’s excavations of early Iron Age structures at the Burn of Swartigill at Yarrows in Caithness, and we are making good progress.
Community archaeology dig to start in Caithness
The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute have teamed up with Yarrows Heritage Trust to re-commence the community excavation of possible Iron Age structures at the Burn of Swartigill on 20th August.
Swartigill Dig Season Ends
Another season of excavation at the Swartigill Burn has ended. The day excavation seems to have flown by so quickly, and we have made a great deal of progress towards defining the form of the structures in the trench.
Exciting find at Swartigill
A most intriguing object emerged from the earth at Swartigill, Caithness – an object that perhaps sheds some light on the function of the site.
Swartigill Friday
The Swartigill excavation is a community dig. This means that local people are involved at all stages of the process and local volunteers receive basic training in archaeological methods and help with the actual dig.
Swartigill update
Monday was a bit disrupted by the snow, but we got a good afternoon’s work in and made some good progress defining the rest of the rubble and possible structural features in the north end of the trench. As you can see in the photo, there are numerous possible wall lines and linear features showing through.
Swartigill – days two and three
Despite everyone’s best intentions, it was obvious by around 9.00am on Day Two that the dig could not continue. The whole area took on the characteristics of a well-shaken snow globe as the cold combined with the snow to make conditions impossible.
Swartigill – day one
Sunday, April 23, dawned with an early ferry crossing as the team from the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute bounced over the Pentland Firth en-route to Caithness and the Swartigill archaeological excavation.