Find Spot record MAB45903 - FINDHORN

Erosion site, comprising a cigar shaped depression (blow out centred NJ 0495 6468) in the sand dune, recorded in 1977.

Erosion site, comprising a cigar shaped depression (blow out centred NJ 0495 6468) in the sand dune, recorded in 1977. The old land surface is visible circa 5 m from top of dune. The area has been disturbed by vehicles including during exercises in World War II. Artefacts of predominantly Bronze Age, but also Iron Age, date have been recovered by surface collection in the past circa 15 years. Numerous finds were reported in 2006 by M. Sharpe, including shattered cooking stones and a substantial midden largely of mussel shells and other shellfish, along with animal bones have also been noted in the area. Dozens of flint and chert flakes and several worked pieces including an arrowhead have been recovered along with several sherds of coarse pottery and at least one piece of incised pottery. A number of glass beads have been found including one toroidal yellow glass bead, one fine cylindrical light turquoise glass bead, and several coarse, turquoise, slightly tapering glass beads. Also found was one half of a cylindrical black stone bead, which appears to have fractured during working, several fragments of bronze which may have come from a brooch pin, and small fragments of bone, stained turquoise that may have had contact with the bronze fragments. In 2008, further material was reported as having been found: five beaker fragments (late and incised), fragments of cinerary urn, part of a tubular faience bead, several bronze awl or pin fragments, pieces of a steatite vessel, sand polished flints including a possible strike-a-light rod, a tiny glass bead (similar to Iron Age beads from Culbin), a small ball of ochre, 3 fragments of faience, 12 pieces of burnt bone with bronze-like staining, 2 broken fusiform beads of blackish stone/bone, a triangular arrowhead and lots of debitage, a fire-cracked stone, and various sand-whitened animal bones. Investigation of the old land surface in the blow out was carried out by M. Sharpe/NOSAS in 2016-17. A number of test pits dug in 2016 and further excavation in July 2017 was aimed at establishing the presence of intact archaeological deposits. Three small trenches were opened to examine the old land surface. No intact features or archaeological deposits were found, only highly fragmented artefacts flint debitage, fire-cracked stone and apparently redeposited midden material. Eleven slots were dug up to 0.5 m into the foot of the dunes to assess survival of deposits under the dunes. One faience bead fragment was recovered in 2016, and a few pieces of flint debitage and a stone tool were recovered. The majority of finds from the site have been from the surface collection. Site visit in June 2022 as part of Moray Community Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (CCZAS) noted exposure of the old land surface, continuing for circa 60 m and intermittently traced inland over a wide area. The layer is rich in charcoal, and fire cracked cobbles, pottery, beads, beads, lithics and cremated none of various prehistoric periods recovered from sites in the dunes originate from this later. A mound of deliberately struck quartz pebbles and a possible burnt mound have been identified by M Sharpe.

RITCHIE, W, 1976, BEACHES OF NE SCOTLAND, 110 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1534.

SHEPHERD, IAG, 1977, DES,3,4,9,19,20,23,24, 24 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1813.

SHARPE, M, 2019, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF A SITE IN THE SAND DUNES EAST OF FINDHORN VILLAGE: REPORT TO FINDHORN DUNES TRUST (Bibliographic reference). SAB4838.

SHARPE, M, 2020, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE FINDHORN DUNES. NOSAS ARCHAEOLOGY BLOG (Bibliographic reference). SAB4834.

SCAPE , 2023, COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT SURVEY MORAY: CULBIN TO CULLEN, ID 14217 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4861.

Sep 1 1981 , Untitled Source (Ground Photograph). SAB30173.

Record last edited

Mar 28 2024 12:14PM