Document record MAB51057 - THORNHILL

Site of cropmarks, evaluation and excavation.

Site of cropmarks, evaluation and excavation. Several earlier field boundaries were at one time visible as crop marks. Interspersed through them were several earlier features such as ring-ditches and pits. Trial trenching evaluation by Alba Archaeology in 2007 on the site recorded pits and ditches of probable prehistoric date and the remains of the farm of Muirton which is depicted on OS 1st and 2nd edition maps (NJ26SW0197). Worked lithics were found in some of the pits, and a single sherd of prehistoric pottery was recovered from a small feature during a subsequent watching brief. Function of the features is not clear, nor can they be assigned to a specific period of prehistory. Most of the prehistoric features were within the northern part of the proposed development area. Coins dating to circa 1797 and 1826 were found within the farm area. Agricultural activity from the late 18th century was evidenced by plough marks, tracks ditches and field drains. Post-excavation analysis of finds and soil samples was undertaken in 2008. None of the soil samples contained archaeobotanical material other than quantities of charcoal. The wood charcoal fragments present were in a range of sizes, suggestive of in-situ primary refuse or deliberately dumped fire debris from the furnaces. Rare quantities of burnt bone were recovered from one sample (Sample 13). The lithic assemblage was small and mostly undiagnostic, and little could be said about the collection as an industry. One unusual thing about the assemblage concerned the small size of the flint pebbles. Despite this small size, a bipolar technique has not been adopted but a platform reduction method has been used, which must have caused some difficulty given the size of the raw material. One of the retouched flint pieces is an early Bronze Age thumbnail scraper. No pieces are can be identified as Neolithic solely on their attributes. It is possible that SF9 is Neolithic and the burnt blade, SF29, can be dated to the later Neolithic through its association with an impressed ware sherd. Prehistoric coarse pottery was recovered from various pits across site. The pottery numbers 174 sherds representing 11 vessels. These range in date from the Middle Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The largest collection of sherds comes from an almost complete bucket-shaped vessel, discovered crushed in a large pit. The pottery finds can be summarised thus: six conjoining sherds of a modified carinated bowl dating to the middle Neolithic (SF30); a single sherd of decorated impressed ware of about Middle-Later Neolithic date (SF 27); a bucket-shaped vessel dated to the Bronze Age (SF 33); seven sherds of a flat-based Bronze Age vessel; nine undiagnostic sherds of indeterminate date. Two radiocarbon dates were obtained from different fills of a pit. It was hoped that these would provide dating evidence for the bucket-shaped vessel found at the base of the pit. In both cases the only datable material was oak charcoal and both were sealed by the pot: Sample 738: 1740 - 1530 BC, Sample 746: 1960 - 1750 BC. The probability density functions of the two dates indicate that there is a significant age difference between the two samples. Since both samples were sealed by the pot, it is most likely that the older date represents residual material. The younger date, that is most likely to fall within the 17th century BC, could still represent residual material (especially as the material dated is oak) but at least it provides a terminus post quem for the pot. Typologically the bucket-shaped vessel was thought to be later Bronze Age in date, circa 1000 BC. A date in the middle Bronze Age would also be acceptable, and the possibility remains that the pot is slightly later than the wood it was interred with.

Period Notes
Two samples dated: GU-17257 (738) 3355+/-30BP, 1740-1530 Cal BC. GU-17258 (746) 3540+/-30 BP, 1960-1750 Cal BC

HERBERT, C, 2007, RESIDENTIAL DEVPMT AT THORNHILL,ELGIN: DBA & EVAL (Bibliographic reference). SAB2710.

Headland Archaeology, 2008, Thornhill Rd, Elgin: Post-Ex Analysis for Alba Arc (Bibliographic reference). SAB2744.

ALBA ARCHAEOLOGY (HIGHLAND) LTD, 2008, THORNHILL, ELGIN; DBA & EVALUATION (Bibliographic reference). SAB2234.

EVALUATION

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2009, DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOL 9, 2008, p.123 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3496.

Jul 9 1976 , NJ26S 2635028, NJ26S 2635028 (Air-vertical Photograph). SAB31794.

Jul 16 2001 , AAS/01/5/CT12, AAS/01/5/CT12 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31645.

Jun 25 1996 , AAS/96/04/G13/15, AAS/96/04/G13/15 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31204.

Record last edited

Jun 30 2025 10:52AM