Building record MAB13112 - BATTLE HILL

A substantial enclosure with three enclosing banks, first identified as a possible enclosure on a prominent knoll following forestry clearance.

A substantial enclosure with three enclosing banks, first identified as a possible enclosure on a prominent knoll following forestry clearance. In 2016 four trenches were excavated as part of the Battle Hill Prehistoric Landscape Project, run by Murray Cook, Hana Kdolska and Theres McCormick with volunteers. Structural features were recorded. Finds inlude and a number of quartz flakes and tools, a fragment of a possible hammer stone or polished stone and flints. A sample from within the enclosure was able to be radiocarbon dated, giving a date of 395-206 cal BC. A second season of excavation was carried out in 2017. Further forestry clearance revealed at least three banks that are circa 40 metres by 37 metres. The knoll to the south-west was identified as a cairn, measuring circa 28 metres in diameter and up to 3 metres high (NJ53NW0137). Two trenches were excavated on the enclosure in 2017. Trench 13 on the north-western edge of the enclosure was opened, with three banks and a terrace being identified. Alder charcoal from a charcoal rich context at the northern end of the trench gave a radiocarbon date of 398-209 cal BC. Trench 14 was opened to the south-east to better record a terrace feature identified in 2016. As well as the cairn identified in 2017, a hut circle was also excavated in 2016 and 2017 (NJ53NW0138) and a linear bank in 2017 (NJ53NW0139) as part of the same project. Further excavation in August 2018 sampled one of the enclosure terraces which was revealed to be a soil and stone rampart circa 3m wide with a palisade slot to the exterior and a rubble kerb to the interior. Samples of hazel charcoal gave a radiocarbon date of 400-210 BC. Further excavation was carried out in 2019 to further investigate northern edge of the enclosure rampart. The rampart of the fort enclosure contains both Iron Age and Early Medieval material and it is possible that there were two enclosures: an earlier palisaded enclosure and a univallate Early Medieval fort. A fifth season of excavation was carried out in 2022, with two trenches excavated. The first (Trench 42) reopened and expanded previous trenches and identified an area of disturbed cobbling, the main disturbed rampart (originally discovered by fieldwalking), a palisade line, a further robbed out rampart/bank and a possible ring groove structure. The second (Trench 43) to the south uncovered what appear to be another palisade, and a degraded bank/rampart. The results indicate that the enclosure on this knoll is larger and of greater complexity than previously thought. Season 6 excavation in July 2024 identified more sets of defences. The north-south Trench 44 was designed to reopen and expand Trench 43 to confirm the nature of features identified in 2022. It ran from the core of a substantial robbed out rampart in the north across three lines of palisade. Trench 45, northeast of Trench 44, recorded the same rampart, uncovering indications of packing stones for a box rampart and an older palisade. A short distance to the west, Trench 48 identified the inner core kerb of the same rampart. All of the soils contained residual lithics of predominantly quartz, but also some chert. A total of 41 lithic artefacts (flint and quartz) were recovered during the 2024 excavation, none of which are diagnostic artefacts although their general nature suggests a later prehistoric date (Neolithic – Bronze Ae). . They include 32 pieces of debitage, of which 22 are flakes (mostly quartz), four cores (all quartz), and five tools (including three scrapers of quartz).

Period Notes
SUERC-76630 (GU45863), 2261BP +/-30: 398 - 209 cal BC to 2 sigma. SUERC-76632 (GU45865), 2250BP +/-30: 395 - 206 cal BC to 2 sigma. Battle Hill 2018: SUERC-83369 (GU49718), , 2269 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 397- 208 BC at 2 sigma; SUERC-83370 (GU49719) 1116 +/- 29 BP, calibrated to 775 - 995 AD; SUERC-83371 (GU49720) 4194 +/- 29 BP, calibrated to 2892-2670 BC; SUERC-83375 (GU49721) 4919 +/- 29 BP, calibrated to 3769-3641 BC; SUERC-83376 (GU49722) 3683 +/- 29 BP, calibrated to 2194-1961 BC. From 2019 excavations: SUERC-92005, charcoal from interior of rampart, 1697+/-27, calibrated to 256-408 AD at 2 sigma; SUERC-92004, charcoal, 1743+/-27,calibrated to 238-381 AD;

COOK, MCCORMICK AND KDOLSKA, M, T, H, 2017, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE PROJECT, HUNTLY, ABERDEENSHIRE: SEASON 1 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB7068.

COOK, MCCORMICK AND KDOLSKA, M, T, H, 2018, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE PROJECT, HUNTLY, ABERDEENSHIRE: SEASON 2 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB7067.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2018, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOLUME 18, 2017, p.15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6463.

COOK, M, 2019, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE PROJECT, HUNTLY: SEASON 3 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB8235.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2019, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 19, 2018, p. 13 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6524.

COOK, M, 2020, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE PROJECT, HUNTLY: SEASON 4 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB8202.

COOK, M, 2022, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPES PROJECT, HUNTLY: SEASON 5 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT: PRECIS, Excavation report (Bibliographic reference). SAB8537.

BJARKE BALLIN, T, 2024, BATTLE HILL, ABERDEENSHIRE - EXCAVATION 2024 THE LITHIC ASSEMBLAGE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3834.

COOK, M, 2024, BATTLE HILL, PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPES PROJECT, HUNTLY: SEASON 6 DATA STRUCTURE REPORT: PRECIS, Excavation summary (Bibliographic reference). SAB8700.

Record last edited

Nov 13 2025 10:34AM