Monday, June 13, 2011

Celebrating 14,000 years of Scottish history




The Biggar Archaeology Group held a celebration party at the Moat Park Heritage Centre on Monday evening, as a thank you to all of the people who helped on their recent archaeology excavation at Howburn Farm.

The party was hosted by South Lanarkshire Council and Provost Russell McLeary spoke to an audience of about ninety people of the great significance of having the oldest known archaeology site right here in South Lanarkshire. He warmly congratulated the voluntary group and all of the people who rallied round to help with this extraordinary and unique project which has pushed the history of Scotland back by over 3000 years.

Tam Ward, the leader of the group also heaped praise on the amateur archaeologists, many of them children, for their magnificent effort in what was a three month long campaign to prove that reindeer hunters had crossed the area of the present North Sea (on foot), having come from somewhere around Denmark or North Germany, to arrive at Howburn where they made successive camp sites over the years. Tam also thanked farmers Ann and Graham Barrie for their co operation in allowing the work to be done in their field and presented them with a framed picture of the exhibition.

The party was also an opportunity for many of the diggers to see their finds and those of others on display and learn exactly what they have achieved. The exhibition on the project will remain for the whole of 2010 in the Moat Park; however, it will be moved lock stock and barrel to the Scottish Parliament in January for one week.

Santa’s little reindeer were in attendance as all of the children were presented with set of antlers for the occasion which was enjoyed by all.

Now comes the serious behind the scenes study and research into the finds, the story has only just began, as the thousands of rare flints are examined more information will creep out and throw further light on Scotland’s First People.

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

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