Na Clachan Aoraidh, Loch Tummel, Perth & Kinross
The staged deposition of quartz and other lithics within and around a four-poster stone circle - Torben Bjarke Ballin
Following the setting of a bonfire within the centre of the stone circle of Na Clachan Aoraidh (NGR:NN 83857 62024), Argyll Archaeology was commissioned by Forestry Commission Scotland to undertake an excavation in order to evaluate any damage that might have occurred to the archaeological deposits as a result of the fire; ascertain the extent and nature of the surviving archaeological deposits; and by doing so, ensure the continued protection of the monument and enhance the historic environment record.
The excavation revealed that the damage caused to the monument by the illegal bonfire was minimal and confined to the topsoil, with no apparent contamination of the underlying archaeological deposits. Excavation also revealed that the stone circle was of simple construction. The monument comprised a thin oval platform of water worn cobbles and four probable contemporary stone orthostats which were arranged around a central pit. The pit contained re-deposited burnt bone mixed with ash and re-deposited soil. The outer portion of the platform was made up of slightly larger cobbles and the whole platform was edged by a single kerb of large water worn cobbles.
The monument appears to have been centred on a tree throw, and the obvious implication is that this was a deliberate act either to exploit a natural hollow and/or memorializing an already ritually significant place previously identifiable by a sacred tree. A previous geophysical survey had identified a number of anomalies and features within the monument and immediately out- with it. However, excavation revealed that the majority of the inferences made from the results of this survey were erroneous, with many of the features identified turning out to be the result of variations in the mineralogy and iron content of the various soils and/or the presence of large swaths of bedrock. The lithic assemblage includes 185 pieces, mainly in quartz, but supplemented by flint and agate. The purpose of the present report is to characterize the site’s lithic artefacts in detail, with special reference to raw-materials, typo-technological attributes, and on-site distribution.
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