EAB4494 - Excavation - BORROWSTONE QUARRY, KINGSWELLS

Cist A (also known as Borrowstone Cist 1) contained a skeleton, a beaker, organic material, and a pebble floor. This cist measured 1.2 m long and contained a skeleton lying on its left side, orientated east and facing south. The pebble floor was covered in black organic material on which the complete beaker stood. The organic matter indicated that a layer of plants or leaves had been deposited in the grave before the body was placed into it. The lid was a massive single slab measuring 28 cm thick and 97 cm wide. The north wall of the cist was made up of a single stone, 1 m long and the opposite side was made up of two slabs measuring a total of 1.07 m. It had clay luted corners, the clay acted as a bonding material. The grave goods are in the collections of Marischal Museum. A total of six cists were found on the site of the quarry at Borrowstone Farm from 1976 to 1984. Of the two cists, the southern most cist was constructed of slabs creating the sides of the box and another slab was the lid. The number of cists found in this area indicates that the 'Beaker' culture was well established in the vicinity. See MAB55577 for Cist B (Borrowstone Cist 2), and MAB55571, MAB55572, MAB55573, and MAB55574, for other cists found in this quarry.