Document record MAB62784 - SPURRYHILLOCK

Five trenches dug as part of an archaeological evaluation undertaken in 1993 in advance of the realignment of an unclassified road connecting Auchenblae Road and Cemetery Road, west of the Spurryhillock Junction on the A90 Aberdeen-Stonehaven Trunk Road (see NO88NE0497 for the sixtth trench of this evaluation, to the south).

Five trenches dug as part of an archaeological evaluation undertaken in 1993 in advance of the realignment of an unclassified road connecting Auchenblae Road and Cemetery Road, west of the Spurryhillock Junction on the A90 Aberdeen-Stonehaven Trunk Road (see NO88NE0497 for the sixtth trench of this evaluation, to the south). This loop road impinged on the south-eastern part of a scheduled cropmark complex (NO88NE0038) which appears to represent the remains of an open settlement thought to be of later prehistoric date. Archaeological were identified in two of the five, Trenches 1 and 6, comprising the remains of a shallow curvilinear ditch and eight pits which produced evidence for Mesolithic and Neolithic activity. One pit included Neolithic Unstan Ware pottery, whilst a larger pit contained a series of charcoal deposits and a flint flake, with flint blades found in close proximity in the deposit between the topsoil and subsoil. Radiocarbon dates from samples from the lower fill of this large pit produced radiocarbon date , calibrated to the Mesolithic (4720-4370 BC and 4910 – 4540 BC). The total of nine pieces of chipped stone from the two trenches showed blade manufacture to be the dominant technique. A further watching brief was carried out by CFA in September 1994 during final removal of topsoil along the line of the proposed realignment, but no archaeological features or artefacts were observed. An archaeological evaluation was carried out in 2024 on the land adjacent to Fetteresso Cemetery and uncovered several possible pre-historic features - See NO88NE0467 for evaluation during road widening along the southeast side of the site. e.

Period Notes
Beta 73552 BP 5860+/-70 (which equals 4906 BC - 4543 BC at 2 sigma): Beta-73553 BP 5700+/-70 (which equals 4709 BC - 4370 BC at 2 sigma).

ALEXANDER, D, 1994, A92 TRUNK ROAD, SPURRYHILLOCK. REPORT NO.167, CFA 167 (Bibliographic reference). SAB69.

ENVIRONMENTAL ANAL

REES, A, 1994, A92 TRUNK ROAD.SPURREYHILLOCK. CFA REPORT NO.175, CFA 175 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1581.

CFA, 1994, DES . SPURRYHILLOCK, 28 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2397.

TRIAL TRENCHING

ALEXANDER, D, 1997, EXCAVATION OF PITS CONTAINING DECORATED POTTERY AND EARLY LITHIC MATERIAL OF POSSIBLE MESOLITHIC DATE. IN PSAS 127, 1997, 17-27 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2180.

Jan 1 1994 , AAS/GR/94/CT86-94, AAS/GR/94/CT86-94 (Ground Photograph). SAB32896.

Jul 20 1977 , CDE 8,9, CDE 8,9 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16083.

Jul 23 1992 , AAS/92/05/G3/1-3, AAS/92/05/G3/1-3 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16082.

RCAHMS, n.d., N KINC LIST, No139 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1509.

FLINTS

Record last edited

Oct 29 2025 11:37AM