View Vol. 66 (2017): Unenclosed prehistoric settlement and early medieval pits at Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray

Unenclosed prehistoric settlement and early medieval pits at Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray

Author: Lindsay Dunbar

Contributors: Rob Engl, Dawn McLaren and Jackaline Robertson

Summary: The excavation of a greenfield development at the Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray (NGR: NJ 278 447) has revealed the remains of four episodes of heavily truncated settlement activity on a gravel terrace above the River Spey. In the Middle Bronze Age there was pit-digging activity, followed by a Late Bronze Age settlement consisting of at least two, and probably four, post-ring roundhouses and a four-poster. A single ring-ditch roundhouse represents Middle Iron Age settlement, and activity in the 9th to 12th centuries AD is represented by a number of large rubbish disposal pits possibly associated with two post-ring roundhouses. A small assemblage of macroplant, charcoal and burnt bone was recovered, as well as a small amount of prehistoric pottery, a few coarse stone artefacts and metalworking residues.

Keywords: Roundhouse, Post hole, Quarry pit, Ring ditch, Pit

Periods: medieval, Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, Middle Iron Age

Location: Moray, Scotland, UK

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence.

Published: 01-01-2017

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