Archaeologists battle to save promontory fort in Galloway

Submitted by Andy B on Monday, 27 October 2003 Page Views: 1195

ARCHAEOLOGISTS are engaged in a race to save the remnants of an Iron Age settlement built by one of the most mysterious early peoples of Scotland. The prehistoric site at Carghidown, near the Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, could illuminate the lives of an ancient tribe called the Novantae.

However, the promontory fort located 100ft above the sea, which has a number of extremely rare features, faces destruction after years of wave and wind action and could collapse into the sea. Evidence from the floors of dwellings at the settlement will be used todocument the daily lives of the little known tribe, which lived in south-west Scotland.

A number of lead beads discovered at Carghidown also indicates the inhabitants enjoyed more sophisticated trading networks than previously believed. Ronan Toolis, project officer for AOC Archaeology, led the excavation. He said: "Carghidown is an enigmatic site. While it was probably occupied in the Iron Age, we don't yet know exactly when it was occupied.

"There is no access to the sea and, although it is called a fort, it wasn't a defensive position as a hill overlooks the site. However, if we don't get back soon it is very likely that more archaeology will be lost to the sea."

Two roundhouses were discovered within the promontory fort, defined by dry stone walls, one of which contained a series of floor deposits, which is uncommon in archaeological sites as floors have often been ploughed away.

The three rare lead beads were recovered from just outside one of the roundhouses and are believed to have been part of some intricate form of jewellery. Archaeologists have found little evidence for the lives of the Novantae before the Roman Conquest.

They were thought to have replaced a small, dark-haired aboriginal race, probably akin to Basques of the Iberian peninsula, who held this south-western corner of Scotland for centuries. The Novantae were farmers and herders, but few of their farms and other settlements have been excavated by archaeologists so far.

Mr Toolis said: "We hope to return next year to excavate the site, in order to shed new light on how and why the Iron Age people of Galloway chose to occupy coastal sites like Carghidown."

Source: The Herald

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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