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Photo Pages: Birnie Roundhouses - Misc. Earthwork in Scotland in Moray
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Submitted by cosmic on Thursday, 02 October 2008 Page Views: 4105
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Experts return to 'power centre' (Score: 1)
by Andy B on Thursday, 10 July 2008
(User Info | Send a Message) | Archaeologists are to return to an Iron Age "power centre" to further investigate the influence of the Romans on the north of Scotland.
Dr Fraser Hunter, of the National Museums of Scotland, will lead the dig at Birnie, near Elgin, next month.
Roman coin hordes have previously been found in the area.
Dr Hunter said he hoped the work would further uncover clues to an Iron Age community there and the emergence of ancient people known as the Picts.
The archaeologists will look at a number of key target sites in what will be the final phase of excavations at Birnie.
Dr Hunter, principal curator of Roman archaeology, said it had been a "power centre" going back 3,000 years.
He said: "Around the Roman Iron Age it really flourished and was a place with Roman connections."
Silver coins discovered previously were believed to be bribes to keep the chieftan and local population on side with Rome, said Dr Hunter.
He said: "The site shows the influence of Rome beyond the edge of the empire."
The coins were thought to have been buried as a religious offering.
Dr Hunter said: "A series of strange things have also been found recently.
"One was an intact decorative pot buried upside down and a whet stone, a lovely rectangular object hardly used and not the kind of thing that would be have been discarded.
"We think these were buried as sacrifices as offerings to the gods."
Evidence of Roman influence outside the boundaries of the empire have been found across northern Scotland.
Last July, the BBC Scotland news website told how ancient coins were found on a beach in the Western Isles.
Archaeologists believed the pieces of copper alloy date from the middle of the 4th Century.
They were found in a sand dune, but the location in the Uists has been kept secret to protect the site.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7487985.stm | [ Reply to This ]
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Volunteers join archaeologists in Moray (Score: 1)
by Andy B on Tuesday, 19 August 2008
(User Info | Send a Message) | Volunteers join archaeologists in Moray
Latest phase of Birnie dig begins to reveal more historical objects
Employees of National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh joined students from universities in Glasgow and Carlisle, as well as local volunteers, on the site.
Over the last 10 years, archaeologists have been looking closely at the site, about four miles from Elgin, which they believe had up to 15 houses during the Iron Age.
“These were not small houses. They were about eight metres high,” said Fraser Hunter, principal curator of Iron Age and Roman collections at the national museum.
More, with photo in the Press and Journal
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/791745?UserKey=0
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Chariot find at Iron Age settlement site (Score: 1)
by Andy B on Thursday, 02 October 2008
(User Info | Send a Message) | Archaeologists have uncovered a small - but vital - clue to the use of
a chariot in Moray (Grampian, Scotland). The piece for a horse harness
was found during the latest dig at an Iron Age site at Birnie, near
Elgin. Dr Fraser Hunter, of the National Museums of Scotland, said it
was further evidence of the high status of its inhabitants. Glass
beads that may have been made at Culbin Sands, near Nairn, in the
Highlands, a dagger and quern stones for making flour have also been
found previously.
An army of archaeologists, students and volunteers have slowly
been excavating two roundhouses that date back to 2,000 years ago. Two
further years of work are planned before the site is restored to
farmland. An open day allowing the public to tour the dig was held
on the 7 September.
Dr Hunter said the metal piece for a horse harness was among
this summer's finds. He said: "It comes from a chariot and it shows
something of the contacts these people had and their aspirations, I
suppose. The chariot was the flashy run around of the period." The
horse-drawn transport and equipment may have come from the south of
Scotland, or north England.
The team have been painstakingly picking through the remains of
one of the roundhouses, which was badly damaged in a fire. The blaze
has "fossilised" oak timber beams and seeds, but the process of
excavation has been described as being like "digging through a
bonfire". Previously, a fire investigation officer with Grampian Fire
and Rescue Service and a Grampian Police scenes of crime officer
helped to determine that the fire was started deliberately. The pair
were able to point to a fire being started at the base of the inside
wall. What is not known is whether this was while the house was still
in use, or at the end of its life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7585922.stm
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Iron Age discovery unearthed at farm (Score: 1)
by coldrum on Thursday, 01 October 2009
(User Info | Send a Message) | Iron Age discovery unearthed at farm
ARCHAEOLOGISTS find remains of 2,000-year-old roundhouse.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the floor and timber beams of a 2,000-year-old roundhouse in the heart of a Moray farm, it emerged yesterday.
Experts believe the structure unearthed at Dykeside Farm, Birnie, was once the multistorey-power centre of an Iron Age settlement.
Last night, the archaeologist leading the excavation said it was the best-preserved roundhouse discovered on the site.
National Museums of Scotland curator Fraser Hunter said the “huge, impressive building” had a diameter of 50ft and had stood nearly 30ft high and showed how sophisticated the Iron Age settlers really were. He added: “People tend to think they were scratching around living difficult existences and staying in huts, but this is no hut. This was a huge and impressive building.”
The archaeologist said he believed there had been lots of smaller structures around the roundhouse but this had been the major power centre. “It’s absolutely remarkable,” he said. “Each time we come here it throws up surprises. It just shows what an important place this was 2,000 years ago. It’s giving us completely new insights into the Iron Age.”
The remains will be recorded before the timber is lifted carefully and sent away for analysis to gain insight into the type of wood used, and how the house was built.
The Birnie field has been excavated by archaeologists for the last 12 years.
Mr Hunter said the most significant discoveries had been five other roundhouses found this year, plus two hoards of Roman coins. In total 20 roundhouses have been found. Sheila McColl, Elgin Museum volunteer and archaeological representative of the Moray Society which manages the museum, said the site had put Moray on the Iron Age map.
“We have a case in the museum which displays the best finds made at Birnie, including the two hoards of Roman coins. We’re obviously very grateful to the National Museums of Scotland for letting us have this display.”
The National Museums of Scotland has organised an open day at the site on Sunday. Maps to the site can be picked up from Elgin Museum, High Street, Elgin. Booking is not required. Phone 0131 247 4050 for information.
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1391588?UserKey= | [ Reply to This ]
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Birnie Excavations Open Day, Sunday 12th September (Score: 1)
by Andy B on Tuesday, 17 August 2010
(User Info | Send a Message) | Sunday 12th September. Tours for adults at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. Tours for families at 11am, 1pm and 3pm
Location:
Dykeside, Birnie, – two fields to the E of Birnie Kirk, NJ 210 585
Why were two Roman silver coin hoards buried in an Iron Age farm? Archaeologists reveal Birnie’s hidden secrets. This is our final season – take your last chance to visit!
http://www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/?q=node/1676
Scottish Archaeology Month 2010
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