Building record MAB34604 - ARDOWNIE

Remains of double-chambered souterrain, discovered during trial trenching in advance of road improvements on the A92.

Remains of double-chambered souterrain, discovered during trial trenching in advance of road improvements on the A92. Part of the area affected was a Scheduled Monument (NO43SE0061) comprising the cropmarks of two souterrains. The new double chambered souterrain, preserved underneath a deep deposit of topsoil which masked it from aerial survey, was to the north of the previously recorded souterrains. It was fully excavated with a concentrated environmental sampling regime ahead of the road improvements. The souterrain was curvilinear, of drystone construction with corbelling. The larger of the chambers was 18.9 m in exposed length, up to 2.2 m wide at floor level and up to 2.1 m deep. The smaller chamber was circa 10.2 m long, 2 m wide and up to 1.6 m deep. The smaller was entered via a 'creep' from the main chamber. Both chambers had partially paved floors. The roofling was absent, but is likely to have been stones sitting on the corbels rather than wooden for which no indications were discovered. Former ground surfaces noted during the excavation suggest that this roofing was possibly above ground level. A possible aumbry was discovered set into the northwest chamber. Due to it continuing under the road it was not investigated, but it resembled that discovered in the souterrain at Pitcur. Within the rubble core of the southern wall of the larger chamber a small retouched quartz flake was found. A small section investigated in the larger chamber's floor revealed several animal bones and a possible fragment of Roman glass. Plans to remove the stone lining were found to be prohibitively expensive and the backfilled souterrain is preserved in situ under the new road surface. Other finds included two fragments of rotary querns, a saddle quern fragment, a sherd of samian ware and an enamelled skillet-handle.

Period Notes
Bone (GU-11111) 1890 +/- 50 BP, cal. 60-220 AD; Tibia Fragment (GU-11112) 1835 +/- 45 BP, cal. 130-240 AD; Charcoal Fragment (GU-11113) 1955 +/- 55 BP, cal. 40 BC-130 AD; Charcoal Fragment (GU-11114) 1890 +/- 55 BP, cal. 60-220 AD; Charred grain (GU11115) 1215 +/- 50 BP, cal. 720-890 AD; Charcoal (GU-11116) 1230 +/- 50 BP, cal. 710-890 AD.

MITCHELL, S, 2006, A92 upgrading: dundee to arbroath, p.23-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4588.

watching brief

ANDERSON, S, 2006, THE EXCAVATION OF A LARGE DOUBLE-CHAMBERED SOUTERRAIN AT ARDOWNIE FARM COTTAGES, MONIFIETH. PAPER FOR SUBMISSION TO TAFAC 2006 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5541.

SUDDABY, I, 2007, DES VOL 7, 2006, p.22-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4760.

REES, A, n.d., Excavations at Ardownie Farm Cottages. Report 704, Excavation DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB1597.

Record last edited

Jun 20 2023 10:11AM