Busy 2001 season for archeological digs
By Sigurd Towrie
(From The Orcadian dated October 11, 2001)

Looking north from the Standing Stones of Stenness. After preliminary work this year, it is hoped that a further work could confirm where these massive megaliths were originally quarried.

With the foot-and-mouth crisis affecting land access earlier in the year, the prospects of carrying out archaeological work in Orkney looked bleak.

But although it may have appeared that things had gone quiet in the archaeological world, a morning meeting with Orkney Archaeological Trust’s Julie Gibson and Jane Downes of Orkney College soon showed that nothing could be further from the truth.

The trust has been incredibly busy, with a packed summer of excavations and surveys in the county has just drawn to a close. The past few months have seen a number of archaeological projects across Orkney, once again covering a broad sweep of our historical past. Some were extensions of previous excavations, while others point at what could be some incredibly exciting projects for the future.

The 2001 season kicked off in June with an extensive survey of the area around the Knowes of Trotty in Harray. Joining OAT archaeologist Nick Card on site was a team from the University of Manchester. Together, they surveyed nearly seven hectares of the Bronze Age burial complex.

The Knowes of Trotty is a series of 16 mounds arranged in two rows along the foot of the western slope of the Ward of Redland. Undoubtedly less well known than sites such as Skara Brae and Minehowe, the Knowes of Trotty are renowned for producing one of the most spectacular finds in Orkney’s archaeological history.

There, in 1858, local antiquarian (and Orkney Sheriff Clerk) George Petrie uncovered four exquisitely crafted gold discs along with a selection of amber beads and pendants. This find has, so far, been unparalleled anywhere else in Orkney.

Sponsored by Historic Scotland with financial assistance from Orkney Islands Council, this year’s survey was organised through OAT by Jane Downes to look at ways of protecting the mounds from the erosion damage that threatens the site.

Contour study of the Knowes of Trotty in Harray. Click image for enlargement

Orkney Archaeologist Julie Gibson explained: “There’s a real problem with these burial mounds because of the damage caused by rabbits and cattle. The mounds have taken a terrible hammering over the last few wet winters so we were looking not only to see whether the survey work will produce a result that lets us do a targeted excavation in the future but also looking at the best way of trying to protect the cemetery. We needed a non-intrusive way of getting a view of the whole cemetery site and its extent without damaging it further.”

A geophysics survey showed that at least two more mounds once stood on the site, which at one time seems likely to have been made up of 20 mounds. Lines of cremation pits dug into the saddle of the largest two mounds were also revealed. Characteristic of Middle to Late Bronze Age burials, these pits indicate that the cemetery was used for some time – probably throughout the Bronze Age period.

“Given the gold and amber grave goods that came from the Knowes of Trotty, the earliest sections of the site probably date from the early Bronze Age (2000 BC)” added Jane Downes, “The burials at the site are similar to those found around Stonehenge in Wiltshire and are very unusual in Scotland.”

Comparing the Knowes of Trotty with a later Bronze Age burial ground such as Lingafiold in Sandwick, allows the archaeologists to look closely at the way these ancient Orcadians were burying their dead, in particular charting the changing traditions, methods and funeral customs.

But anyone hoping that the survey on the site might reveal the presence of more rich finds similar to the 1858 gold discs will be sorely disappointed.

“It’s very unlikely that anything like that still exists in any of the other mounds at the Knowes of Trotty, or indeed any other cemetery or mound in Orkney,” said Jane.

Westray was undoubtedly the main focus of this summer’s Orkney excavations, with archaeologists travelling out to the “Queen o’ the Isles” to investigate the remains of a large section of a late Neolithic village.

The severe weather over the winter had revealed a tennis-court sized section of ancient village at the Links of Noltland. This, together with another likely burial mound, had been left exposed to the fury of the Orcadian climate.

The severe sand blow-out on the site is a major problem for the archaeologists with more and more valuable archaeology being exposed to such an extent that in places the foundations of the earliest buildings on the site are now clearly visible.

In a survey funded by Historic Scotland, this area – standing around 100 yards from the existing Neolithic remains at the Links – was closely examined. As a result, another cluster of buildings were found nearby, although these have not yet been uncovered.

Further work is planned, with archaeologists particularly interested in discovering whether the separate village segments were once part of a much larger settlement.

A general view of the Pictish structure uneaarthed at Berstness in Westray.

Staying on Westray, the Knowe of Skea on Berstness was revisited. Although uncovered last year, when it was thought to be a Neolithic chambered cairn, it is now clear that all was not as it seemed.

Julie Gibson explained: “It has changed in character entirely. The very beautiful stonework we found last year and also the associated burial remains led us to believe it might have been a chambered cairn.”

Instead, the excavation work uncovered an extremely well-preserved angular structure, thought to be a Pictish house, surrounded by a number of other structures. The house was well built with good quality masonry using stone quarried locally. One piece of red sandstone within the structure may have come from Eday.

From the finds uncovered – a double-sided comb, weaving sword, spindle whorl and pin – it is likely that the house dates from around 700AD.

Of particular interest is a section of rib bone, decorated with what has been suggested is a stylised goose. It also appears that the bone is also inscribed the bottom of a rough Pictish “V-Rod” symbol. A mould fragment and a crucible – evidence of metalworking on the site – were also uncovered.

The central house showed clear evidence of extensive modification over time and may have been used for a considerable time before being abandoned. It was found to be sitting on top of an earlier building – the remains of which is a gently sloping, narrow passageway with a series of stone steps leading down into structures partly concealed beneath the house.

The purpose of this earlier construction is perplexing the experts at present. Jane Downes described the feature simply as being “not well understood”.

One thing sure to come from further examination of the Knowe of Skea is a clearer understanding of Iron Age burial practice – an element that is still surrounded by an air of mystery.

“There are hints that there are burials associated with some of the structures which is very exciting given the scarcity of burials of that period,” said Jane.

A view of the burial found up against the Pictish structure at the Knowe of Skea

“There appears to be two or three types of burial found at the knowe, with a complete inhumation, a formal burial in a stone cist, as well as deposits of disarticulated human remains. Some of these remains were found to have been deliberately included into the structure of house – possibly hinting at some form of foundation deposit.”

These fragmentary deposits echo discoveries at other Iron Age sites in Orkney, with burials of parts of people documented at some broch sites.

Jane added: “One of the things about the Iron Age is that we just don’t have enough burials. Iron Age human remains are scarce, throughout Britain as well as in Orkney, so to find remains in the quantities we have at Berstness is really incredibly interesting. Thanks are due to Historic Scotland, Orkney Islands Council and the landowners for the opportunity of examining this site. These will undoubtedly contribute considerably to our understanding of some of the burial practices of the Iron Age.”

The Knowe of Skea is the mound nearest the shore but in the downslope of Berstness there are a number of other mounds. Probably dating from the Bronze Age, these features indicate that the Iron Age inhabitants of Berstness were continuing to use and respect an early prehistoric landscape.

As was reported in The Orcadian at the time, Minehowe was under the microscope again this year, albeit on a lesser scale than the excavations last year.

A geophysics survey sponsored by Orkney Islands Council and carried out by John Gater, of Time Team fame, took place in August to investigate two areas away from the underground chamber.

Investigations revealed that Minehowe’s broch was different from many of its Orcadian contemporaries in that it did not have a series of ditches. Thus, we seem to confirm the theory that the stronghold was built out into an area of waterlogged, marshy bog – negating the need for external defences.

Although this adds to the information now known about the Minehowe broch, it is particularly significant when it comes to the potential of future excavations.

Jane Downes explained: “One of the things that we’re interested in in relation to this is that the anaerobic conditions of the wetland may well have preserved what artefacts there are on site. This has the potential for producing a wider range of material, as well as being better preserved, than we would normally get in Orkney.”

A prime example of the level of preservation that could be encountered is the perfectly preserved late Iron Age woollen cloak found in a nearby bog in the late 1800s.

The traditional site of the nearby chapel of St Ninian was also covered by the survey. Although the final report has not yet been completed, the preliminary results indicate the site of the early chapel goes against local tradition and was perhaps not where it is mapped.

“It is a bit early in the day to say anything about the chapel but evidence for an enclosure at the corner of the existing churchyard may relate to an earlier chapel,” said Julie Gibson. “There’s some debate as to whether the traditional chapel site is in fact a chapel site or whether it was actually located within the bounds of the current cemetery.”

Out in the West Mainland, the Neolithic Heartland of Orkney is still producing archaeology, with yet another site added to those in the Maeshowe-Brodgar-Stenness complex.

Funded again by Historic Scotland, a survey focused on the large howe opposite the Stenness Hotel. Now situated by the main road, the mound was the subject of a nineteenth century account written and published by Irish antiquarians after a visit to the area. These scholars wrote that the mound contained a chamber – a fact that seems to have been forgotten in written accounts of the area.

But the results of this year’s survey showed that the mound had indeed been the focus of some prehistoric activity, with a concentric ditch surrounding its base. Although a segment of this ditch has been obscured by the construction of the main road, around 70 per cent of it remains to be seen on the geophysics.

“The report confirms that there had been at least some deliberate modelling of the mound as well as confirming the stories of a chamber within it,” added Jane Downes.

Most recently, a five-day excavation at the Knowe of Verron, to the north of the Bay of Skaill, a site that hit the headlines recently after a stone crucible disappeared from the shoreside location.

The short excavation finished last week, confirming the site’s late Iron Age date and that metalworking did take place high up in the mound.

Back in Orkney’s Neolithic World Heritage Site, the two stone circles in Stenness look set to come into the spotlight again, if a proposed project by Dr Colin Richards of Manchester University goes ahead.

The question of the origin of the massive stone megaliths that make up the Ring of Brodgar and Standing Stones of Stenness has never fully been answered. Although it is possible that the stones at Brodgar came from the stone-cut ditch that surrounds the monument, it has long been held that the Standing Stones of Stenness were quarried some way from their final resting place. In this case the quarry at Vestrafiold in Sandwick is usually hailed as the most likely candidate.

But until now no work had ever taken place to finally confirm the theory.

Two of the massive stone megaliths that make up the Standing Stones of Stenness.

After further sampling work at the early Neolithic settlement at Stonehall in Firth, Dr Richards turned his attentions to Vestrafiold – the traditional birthplace of the stone rings. There, he looked closely at the quarry itself as well as the surrounding landscape – which includes a chambered tomb and a number of Bronze Age cairns – with a preliminary investigation that is hoped will be progressed further.

“The quarry does seem to be the one used for the getting of standing stones, and this is a particularly interesting research project to see whether they can trace individual standing stones back there,” said Jane Downes.

But even more exciting is the prospect that the research around the site could reveal more about the mindset of the people who hewed the great stones from the quarry and moved them more than seven miles to the thin strip of land between the Harray and Stenness lochs.

The previous investigative work there has been concentrated on the stone circles themselves, but if Dr Richards’s project goes ahead it could provide an intriguing glimpse behind the scenes of the construction of Orkney’s grandest prehistoric relics.

Did the Vestrafiold area have a special significance to the megalithic builders or was it simply a convenient source of good stone? How was the stone cut? How many people were involved? What acts or rituals surrounded the quarrying of the massive megaliths? All questions which, it is hoped, could be answered and shed more light on Orkney’s best known, yet most mysterious monuments.

Let us hope that time will tell.

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