Viking and Norse Heritage Project Diary - Week 3

Saturday July 26th, 2008
by Alan Duffy and Graeme Cavers
Over the last two days we have been doing some high resolution coring over two possible rectangular structures, highlighted during the topographic survey and laser scanning, to the south of Dunnet Forrest. Unfortunately no archaeological deposits were found during the coring works, and these  may be natural features.

This evening Graeme gave our fifth lecture at the Castletown Research Facility. The subject was an introduction to archaeological surveying and GIS, and covered the ways in which we collect, map and analyse archaeological information. Graeme’s talk covered laser scanning, GPS and total stations, and reviewed the results of previous survey campaigns in Caithness. The talk finished off with a review of the results so far of the Dunnet Bay survey. We had a great turn out once again for this talk, and everyone is as enthusiastic as ever about the search for Norse settlement in Dunnet Bay.

Sunday July 27th, 2008
by Alan Duffy
After the last two days of high resolution survey, today saw us back to relatively coarse augering to the south of Dunnet Forest. Also today Paul Humphreys took a guided tour of some of the sites outside the survey area to the East. Paul and Graeme have spent a couple of days recently mapping these sites, and Graeme spoke of them during his lecture on Saturday evening.

Monday July 28th, 2008
by Alan Duffy
The team had a well deserved day off. Please note that as of tomorrow (Tuesday July 29th) we will be working to the east of the road adjacent to the car-parking area at Mid Burn.

Tuesday July 29th, 2008
by Alan Duffy and Graeme Cavers
The coring and survey programme has been running now for almost two weeks. The intention was always to use a series of survey techniques that would allow us a better understanding of the soils and archaeology of parts of the Dunnet area, in the hope that in doing so we would get hints at Viking and Norse archaeology. Since we began only a few Saturdays ago the community response has been brilliant – the Saturday and Sunday workshops are well-attended, as are the Saturday lectures. But, for us, it is the weekday working which has been the most pleasing with a ‘core’ team attending daily and working incredibly hard for long hours and often in difficult conditions, the numbers fluctuating between 5 and 12 people. Given the other commitments they have in their lives, the consistent turnout is remarkable. Coring is always a difficult task, both physically and mentally: given the size of the area and the varying topography many cores contain no evidence for human activity. This is not unique to this programme, it is common to most archaeological landscapes. But it is the moments when we do find changes in soils, pottery, bones and shell that are exciting, as Wendy said in her blog last Saturday. The coring programme is complimented by a series of surveys including 3D recording, walkover survey and topographic studies. This has revealed a series of archaeological structures and landscapes, a testimony to the archaeology in and around Dunnet Bay. But again, for us, one of the most enduring parts of the survey has been the local enthusiasm and knowledge of the landscape. Having worked in Caithness for many years we always knew of the local knowledge and enthusiasm and this project has just reconfirmed this. Working with individuals (we will mention no names….this is a team effort!) who have walked and surveyed the land is a real pleasure. And the astute readings by local individualsof other evidence such as the Orkneyinga Sagas, marrying this with features in the landscape have provoked interesting ponderings that seem to support the results from the survey work. We couldn’t have done half the work without them.

So what have we found so far? Well, we are targeting specific pockets of landscape, working our way down the coast. It is a time-consuming exercise, but very rewarding. In some cores we have found pottery, bones and shells: ie evidence of human activity. The pottery we have found seems to date to the Iron Age and, together with the previously discovered evidence over the last few years of shell, middens and Norse pottery, suggests that the coast was used during the first millennium AD and later. The survey has also thrown up tantalising hints of structures: walls poking through the dunes; possible structures under the ground. Although some appear to be pre-Viking structures (hut circles etc) we are getting glimpses of long, rectilinear structures. It is impossible to tell what date they are, they could be medieval or post-medieval. But…..Viking houses are also long and rectilinear. Fingers crossed.

We will keep on coring and surveying for the next two weeks and then we will use all this information to discuss the best places to put our excavation trenches. The search goes on…..please come and join us when you can. And thanks again for all your efforts.

Wednesday July 30th, 2008
by Alan Duffy
The last two days have been spent undertaking coring, topographic survey and probing, in the area to the north of Mid Burn. Another interesting sequence of soils, possibly indicating a series of buried agricultural soils have been recorded in this area. Thankfully today saw a return of the warmer weather reported by Graeme last week, this after the previous day which at one point was so wet Paul's Munsell Soil Colour Chart partly disintegrated, this despite the fact that it's supposed to be waterproof. Except to users in Caithness it seems!

Thursday July 31st, 2008
by Alan Duffy
Further coring and topographic survey continued in the area to the north of the Mid Burn. Still no evidence of Vikings or Norse Settlers, but further evidence of possible buried agricultural soils. Tomorrow, livestock permitting, we wil be coring and surveying to the south of the Mid Burn, just to the north of Castletown. Meeting point is still the car parking area at Mid Burn.

Friday August 1st, 2008
by Alan Duffy
The coring team worked to the south of the Mid Burn today. No archaeological deposits were noted, and the buried soils noted on the northern side of the burn were also absent. Next Tuesday, livestock permitting, it is intended that coring will be carried out at the south end of the survey area, just to the north of Castletown. Parking will be available in the gated off area on the seaward side of the main road, courtesy of Dickie of Mackay's garage.