Viking and Norse Heritage Project Diary - Week 2
Saturday July 19th, 2008
by Wendy McNeill
I knew I was really hooked when the mist, horizontal rain and blustery winds did not dampen my enthusiasm to get out helping with the coring again. My archaeological experience to date had been the interested but armchair viewing of Time Team and I had not expected the eager anticipation of what each core segment might show as it was pulled from the ground. Is there a new layer, has the colour changed, what does it say about the soil chemistry and, oh the excitement, are there any inclusions? Finding some good size pieces of possibly Pictish pottery yesterday, one with a carefully worked fine rim, was truly like finding buried treasure – a thrill I will not forget. So the damp bottom, stiff knees and wrecked manicure are all worth it – do come along and join in the fun.
by Andy Heald
I delivered our fourth lecture at Castlehill Research Facility in the evening. The level of enthusiasm for the project was demonstrated by the turnout, with around 40 people attending. As way of an introduction I gave another overview of the project and then proceeded to the main point of the lecture: describing the prehistory of Caithness. The intention was to give an overview of the type of archaeology in the area, and the main themes that arise from the remains, and to give an idea of other, non-Viking things, we may encounter. I then updated the group with what we (or rather, them, Alan and Graeme and the local volunteers!!) had been doing and finding. Alan then showed all of the finds so far, including the bone and pottery. Part of the purpose of the night was to ask people how they thought the project was going and everyone seemed very happy. For me, one of the highlights of the night was speaking to various individuals who either brought in offprints or pictures of places and findings they believed to be Viking from the area, and speaking to people about the archaeology of the area. I have always known the wealth of expertise here but this project just keeps on reconfirming this belief. A great end to the first week.
Sunday July 20th, 2008
by Alan Duffy
Another good turn out for the project with 14 different people taking part. Given what we had found in the field the previous few days we decided to do more cores to try and ascertain the extent of the archaeological deposits around the place where we have been finding the pottery, bone, shell and fish bone. The results were variable but the types of soil, artefacts, shells and stones poking through the ground suggest that there must be something in the field, which is great news. And oh yes, if anyone has dropped their false teeth recently in and around Dunnet please get in touch….we found a set in the topsoil!!!!
Monday July 21st, 2008
by Alan Duffy
The team had a well-deserved day off.
Tuesday July 22nd, 2008
by Alan Duffy
Today Alan and Graeme were joined by 4 young members of the CASPER club, a local out of schools club, as well as a number of the core team. During their time on-site, the budding young archaeologists helped with the coring programme, identifying soil colours and sifting for finds. They were also involved in the excavation of a test pit adjacent to one the identified mounds. During this exercise they learnt the rudiments of hand excavation and on-site sieving. One of them commented that they hoped in the future to "stick pottery back together or become a scientist"... so hopefully we are helping to recruit the next generation!
"One day we went to a field in Dunnet, to look for Archaeological treasure. We had to scrape the top mud and dig deep down. We put soil in a bucket then sieved it through. Red coloured stones and flat stones may be a sign that Vikings were here long ago."
- Shawn, Casper Club member
Wednesday July 23rd, 2008
by Graeme Cavers
Apparently the idea of bad weather in the north of Scotland is a myth... We continued the coring programme at Costa del Dunnet today in the balmy northern heat in the area to the south of the forest on the bay. This area is very promising- there are a series of prehistoric hut circles up hill to the east, and an extensive area of 'lumps and bumps' in the links area to the west. Some of these are suspiciously rectangular- so hopefully we'll turn up some evidence for the Norse period. The coring team recorded several buried soil horizons within the layers, and we started more topographic survey with laser scanning and GPS. It's great to be working in areas so busy with archaeology, and everyone is glad to be getting into a new part of the bay.
Thursday July 24th, 2008
by Graeme Cavers
The coring programme pressed ahead today, with Susan and Tom manning the auger! The soil profile has been interesting in this area, and we have been encountering buried peat levels under thick deposits of wind blown sand. No direct signs of archaeology in the cores from this area as yet, but the topographic survey has been producing lots of potential strucures in the lumps and bumps to the north. We carried on with laser scanning, and Paul has been working away on interpreting and recording potential structures using GPS.
