Find Spot record MAB46526 - PITAIRLIE COTTAGES

Fieldwalking was carried out by Michael Stratigos in March 2023 across three fields located in what had been the central part of the former Loch Spynie.

Fieldwalking was carried out by Michael Stratigos in March 2023 across three fields located in what had been the central part of the former Loch Spynie. This included fieldwalking along transects from 1.5m OD to 10 m OD was aimed at refining the location of the palaeoshoreline, before extending coverage to the rest of the fields. The fieldwalking recovered 300 artefacts, of which 252 were retrieved along the transects. No earlier prehistoric artefacts were found below the shoreline of circa 25000 BC indicated by earlier research by M Stratigos. The 22 probable prehistoric lithics included 12 flakes, six cores, two scrapers and two coarse stone tools. The most common raw material appears to be the local Stotfield silcrete, with four of the cores possibly natural nodules rather than worked lithics. Two lithics are of black raw material not local to the region; five were of toffee-coloured flint, not local but common to the region. Notable medieval and post-medieval finds included six medieval glazed wares, a probable 19th century slate stylus and a fragment of clay pipe bowl. Generally, the post-medieval assemblage indicates use of midden material for fertilising the fields in the 19th century.

STRATIGOS, M, 2023, CAYSBRIGGS MIDDEN EXCAVATION AND PITAIRLIE FARM FIELDWALKING: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB4871.

Record last edited

Dec 20 2023 10:50AM