Ancient burial site, Iron Age roundhouses found in Scottish Highlands
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Workers laying a new sewer line in Scotland have unexpectedly uncovered ancient human remains as well as evidence of a much older settlement.
According to Scottish Water’s January 28 press release, the burial site dates back to the 6th century AD. Found at Windhill in the Scottish Highlands.
Archaeologists also found two roundhouses from the Iron Age, dating back 3,000 years.
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Scottish Water said excavators also found stone tools and two smelting furnaces “which may have been placed in structures outside the roundhouses”.
“The furnaces will likely have produced significant amounts of heat and smoke, precluding their placement in an enclosed space,” the statement added.
The discovery at Windhill revealed two well-preserved Iron Age roundhouses; one of them is pictured above. This has contributed to the growing evidence of prehistoric settlement in the region. (Scottish Water, Steven Birch and Andy Hickie)
“This is evidenced by the arcs of postholes that are much shallower than the settings of roundhouses and probably form auxiliary, temporary structures.”
Archaeologist Steven Birch of West Coast Archaeological Services said artefacts and environmental material found at the site could reveal “a great deal about daily life” during both the Iron Age and the 6th century AD.
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“Two melting furnaces and a smaller [blacksmith’s] “The hearths were relatively well preserved, and during the excavations I was able to uncover many details about their construction and use,” he said.
One of the 6th-century burials was placed in a log coffin, and although most of the remains did not survive, a smear of soil was found where it was placed, along with several skull fragments, Birch said.
At the Windhill site, archaeologists have uncovered well-preserved smelters, pictured left, and a rare decorated clay layer, pictured right; this provides new insights into Iron Age industrial activity and settlement life in the Scottish Highlands. (Scottish Water, Steven Birch and Andy Hickie)
“Like graves from this period in Scotland, there were no grave goods, unlike the well-furnished Anglo-Saxon graves of this period in England.”
Birch said experts were aware the site had some archaeological potential because “numerous prehistoric features” were found several years ago.
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Birch also described the condition of two prehistoric roundhouses as “excellent”, contributing new evidence of a settlement in the area.
“In a wider context, such discoveries add to a growing body of sites around the Moray Firth Basin, indicating that the area was a well-populated place in prehistoric times and there is widespread evidence of industrial activity, including metalworking,” he said.
“There were no grave goods as in typical graves from this period in Scotland,” said an archaeologist from the West Coast Archaeological Service. (Scottish Water, Steven Birch and Andy Hickie)
He added: “Pottery was not produced in these areas, but [rather] a number of stone tools for grinding grain, some small pieces of copper alloy and iron objects that require further analysis.”
Additionally, “Environmental materials recovered from bulk samples included charcoal, burnt hazelnut shells, and some burnt grain…possibly six-row barley.” he said.
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Because the soil was highly acidic, very few bones survived from the burial site, although a few fragments were recovered.
The most surprising discovery was the clay plaster or mud plaster used to cover the woven wood walls in the roundhouse.
“We know that although Christianity came to the fore during the Early Middle Ages, people still respected it. [their pagan] ancestors.”
What made the stain so unusual was its decoration; especially chevron or V-shaped patterns.
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“I can confirm that such decoration is incredibly rare and that this is the first example found in Scotland, if not the UK, but further research is needed here,” he said.
He also said some evidence of brothels from the earlier Iron Age, when 6th-century people lived there, was still visible.
A depiction of Iron Age Britain is pictured here. This period dates back thousands of years, when brothels and metalworking sites were part of active, well-populated communities. (Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
“We know that in the early medieval period, even though Christianity came to the fore, people still respected religions. [their pagan] “It is ancestral, and prehistoric obelisks and older funerary monuments are linked to the deep past and ancestors,” he said.
“These later mounds often focus on these older monuments.”
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He added that remains from the site, including charred plant remains, animal bones and human teeth, “may provide some information about diet and subsistence.”
Researchers are now conducting radiocarbon dating and isotope analysis on the remains in the hope of establishing a clearer timeline of the site.
