Document record MAB54150 - CORMACK'S HILLOCK

An area of pits, gullies and ditches excavated by CFA in 2019, following on from identification of features during a watching brief within the cable route corridor for the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm (NJ66SE0330).

An area of pits, gullies and ditches excavated by CFA in 2019, following on from identification of features during a watching brief within the cable route corridor for the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm (NJ66SE0330). The area consisted of three clusters of features. In the northwest of the area a cluster of pit features comprised four pits forming a curvilinear arc with each successive pit cut progressively deeper down the slope, with three of the pits intercutting or conjoined. It is unclear whether they were contemporary or represented a feature whose function changed and was developed over time. The fills contained small stones, charcoal inclusions, and a small number of fire-cracked stones. Small amounts of slag were found within the upper fills of a deep circular pit suggesting metalworking took place in the vicinity. Another three circular pits with shallow to steep sides and flat bases were in proximity, with fills including stones, charcoal, and cereal grains including six row hulled barley and oat. Radiocarbon dating on two separate cereal grains from one of the pit fills dated to 105 BC - 65 AD. In the northeast of the area was another cluster of features consisting of pits, gullies and a ditch. It comprised a sub-oval stone-lined pit and two sub-square pits which were connected by a series of narrow gullies, with a shallow curved ditch situated circa 1 m away. The fill of the sub-oval pit contained charcoal and fragmented burnt bone inclusions. The fill of the sub-square pits contained fire-cracked stones and charcoal. One of the gullies was capped along part of its length by an alignment of large flat stones. The fill of the gullies included rounded stones, occasional fire-cracked stones and charcoal. The relationship of the gullies to the pits is unclear, but some might have been used to drain water from pits. A single sherd of prehistoric pottery was recovered from the fill of the shallow curved ditch. The two rectangular pits may have been post-structures due to the central depression in one and padstones in the other. In the southeast of the area was a cluster of pits, ditches and a possible stake-hole. Fills included charcoal, stones, fire-cracked stones, burnt bone and some with deposits of large, flat stones. A pit approximately triangular in plan with shallow sides at the top steepening into a defined V-profiled circular pit with steep sides and a sharp base, contained fills including a substantial amount of charcoal, ash, burnt bone, fire-cracked stones, animal bone, two prehistoric lithics and one piece of daub. A single flat stone featuring surface scratches was contained within the base of the fill though not securely in situ. Radiocarbon dating on two separate hazel nutshells from this pit fill dated to 46 BC - 215 AD. The area including these features and adjacent features (NJ65NE0155, NJ65NE0156, NJ65NE0158) was probably associated with food processing and associated activities in the Late Iron Age, though domestic habitation remains are absent. It is possible these are located outwith the monitored area, suggested by the proximity of cropmarks (NJ65NE0040, NJ65NE0019).

Period Notes
Radiocarbon dating - Northwest cluster features: SUERC-98284, 2029 +/- 26 BP, calibrated to 101 BC - 65 AD at 2 sigma, material - cereal grain, Hordeum vulgare (barley), pit fill. SUERC-98285, 2035 +/- 26 BP, calibrated to 105 BC – 62 AD at 2 sigma, material - cereal grain, Hordeum vulgare (barley), pit fill. Southeast cluster features: SUERC-98288, 1898 +/- 23 BP, calibrated to 76 AD - 215 AD at 2 sigma, material - hazelnut shell, Corylus avellana, pit fill. SUERC-98289, 1999 +/- 23 BP, calibrated to 46 BC - 106 AD at 2 sigma, material - hazelnut shell, Corylus avellana, pit fill.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WINDFARM PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORKS: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB8552.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WIND FARM, ONSHORE TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE WSI - ADDENDUM 4: PD FOR ARCH EXCAVATION - SECTION 8, WSI Addendum4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8119.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WINDFARM, ONSHORE CABLE ROUTE ABERDEENSHIRE: WATCHING BRIEF, Watching Brief (Bibliographic reference). SAB8544.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2020, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WIND FARM, ONSHORE CABLE ROUTE, ABERDEENSHIRE: SECTION 8 & 9 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, Excavation DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB8551.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2020, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WIND FARM, ONSHORE CABLE ROUTE, SECTIONS 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15 & 29: POST-EXCAVATION RESEARCH DESIGN, PERD (Bibliographic reference). SAB8547.

CFA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2021, MORAY OFFSHORE WINDFARM (EAST) LTD, ONSHORE CABLE ROUTE SECTION 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15 & 29: ARCHIVE REPORT, Excavation Report (Bibliographic reference). SAB8545.

Record last edited

Jun 27 2023 2:44PM