Sunday, June 12, 2011

Another Early Neolithic site discovered




Following on from fieldwalking in 2007, a repeat visit in 2008 to a field at Carwood Farm near Biggar produced more lithic finds. Additionally, this time, pottery and carbonised hazel nut shell was found.

Before the crop was sown a small archaeology excavation discovered pits containing pottery and lithic fragments including some of pitchstone. Excavation has resumed here over the winter of 2008/2009 to salvage whatever of the site had survived the ploughing.

It has become increasingly apparent that prehistoric sites of this kind are being lost annually in the arable lands of the Biggar area, as almost every year we find their remains dispersed in the freshly ploughed topsoil. As it is impossible for us to walk all the newly ploughed fields in our geographic area, it is safe to assume that such fragile sites are being destroyed annually without any record of their existence. If this situation applies throughout Scotland, and it is virtually certain that it does, then we are now losing our archaeological heritage at an ever-increasing rate. We believe this to be a matter of some urgency and should be considered at a national level.

Archaeology Excavations have resumed before the next ploughing of the field. We have now discovered pits with Impressed and Grooved Ware Pottery, a type VI (Langdale Pike) stone axe and, curiously, sherds of at least two comb-decorated beakers.

Accordingly, it is now apparent that the site now represents the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages. Work will continue and it is hoped that we can complete the excavation of the entire site.

Source from : http://www.biggararchaeology.org.uk/news01_carwood109.shtml

For more interesting topics related to archaeology, visit archaeology excavations.

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