THIS may be a year most of us want to consign to history, but it has seen “groundbreaking” archaeological finds, experts say.
Community-led and commercial archaeology was “brought to a standstill” for most of the year, according to sector hub Dig It! But it says the year has nonetheless seen important finds that help us understand more about our country’s past.
Top discoveries include the identification of the nation’s biggest known Pictish site. As many as 4000 people are thought to have lived in hundreds of houses on the summit of Tap o’ Noth in Aberdeenshire around 1700 years ago. That discovery was made through radiocarbon dating, drone surveys and laser technology in an Aberdeen University project and announced in May.
The following month it emerged that evidence of the oldest known woven cloth, from the Neolithic era, had been uncovered at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney. It was preserved as imprints in the wet clay of a pot 5000 years ago and the marks were found by a volunteer as part of a high-tech project by the University of the Highlands and Islands.
READ MORE: ‘Special 14th-century burials’ unearthed in Scottish Highlands
Meanwhile, the lifting of lockdown in the summer saw the unearthing of skeletons and artefacts from a medieval cemetery in Leith as part of preparations for the extension of Edinburgh’s tram line. These could date as far back as 1300 and other items found at the South Leith Parish Cemetery include a rare cannonball and the bones of an adult sperm whale.
Dr Jeff Sanders, project manager at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s Dig It! project, said: “Archaeology is all about discovering Scotland’s stories and these are just some of the new chapters that have been added despite the pandemic, with other finds ranging from a major Iron Age village in Aberdeenshire to a ‘lost’ medieval bridge in the Scottish Borders.”
Amy Eastwood, of Historic Environment Scotland, added: “Despite a lot of archaeological work being put on hold this year due to the pandemic, the sector has continued to unearth exciting discoveries. This archaeological work is crucial to our understanding of Scotland’s past.”
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