Top of the pots: The best Scots archaeological finds of the year
The pandemic has had a huge impact on our quest to unearth the past, but some discoveries still resonate, finds
THE discovery of the largest Pictish site to date in Aberdeenshire is being described as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of 2020.
A team from the University of Aberdeen uncovered evidence in May that up to 4,000 people may have lived on the summit of Tap O’ Noth near Rhynie around 1,400 years ago.
That unearthing of the Pictish site joins the find of 5,000-year-old textiles and hundreds of medieval skeletons as among the top discoveries of the year, according to the senior antiquarian body of Scotland.
The Edinburgh-based Society of Antiquaries of Scotland says that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the Scottish archaeological sector, with the majority of commercial archaeology being brought to a standstill during the lockdown and most communityled groups unable to continue their work at all.
But the Society said that archaeologists and volunteers still managed to uncover new details about Scotland’s past in the lab and on site and has compiled some of the most important discoveries.
Many had thought the Aberdeenshire hillfort settlement dated from the Bronze or Iron Age. But the researchers said carbon dating suggested it was likely to be Pictish, dating back to the third century AD.
This information, combined with drone surveys and laser technology, later revealed as many as 800 huts within the fort described as “potentially verging on urban in scale”. The hillfort is one of the largestknown ancient settlements ever discovered in the UK which, at its height, it may have rivalled the largest known post-roman settlements in Europe.
The Picts dominated parts of Scotland for centuries and were first mentioned in late Roman writings as a collection of troublesome social groupings. They disappeared from
written records around 1,100 years ago, and the society said that every discovery helps fill another gap in this “enigmatic” period of Scottish history. It is hoped that more excavations can take place in 2021 and that people will visit Aberdeenshire to explore the site when it is safe to travel.
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.
“As Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy reminds us, archaeology is for everyone, so we hope you’ve been inspired to get involved in 2021 when it’s safe to do so.”
Also highlighted was new evidence that Scotland’s famous textile industry stretched back thousands of
years – with the oldest evidence of fabric found in Orkney. Evidence of woven Neolithic textile was confirmed at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute after research excavation at the Ness of Brodgar in June. Only one other such example has been found in Scotland.
The skeletons discovery was made in July when lockdown was lifted in the summer. The discovery of more than 350 burials that were part of a medieval cemetery in Leith could date as far back as 1300.
Amy Eastwood, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “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.”
These are just some of the new chapters that have been added despite the pandemic