Excavations beside Sruth a' Mhuilinn ('the Mill Stream'), Iona

Abstract

Excavation beside Sruth a'Mhuilinn recorded a man-made, sub-rectangular pool cut into the gravels of the  stream course, as well as a group of large post-pits. The pool was deliberately back-filled in the course of a recent reorganization of the site. There is no salient archaeological interpretation, but discussion considers whether this is the site of a modern horizontal water mill, and weighs this possibility in the light of the well-attested tradition for the use of Sruth a'Mhuilinn as a mill stream. The excavation was funded by Historic Scotland.