Excavation of a Bronze Age wicker container, Gearraidh na h'Aibhne, Isle of Lewis
Contributors: Christopher Burgess, Mark Holmes, Jennifer Miller and Susan Ramsay
Summary: An archaeological excavation was carried out at Gearraidh na h'Aibhne near Calanais on the Isle of Lewis (NGR: NB 2333 3068) by Northamptonshire Archaeology, working for Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) as part of the Historic Scotland Human Remains Call Off Contract. The site, initially interpreted as a cist potentially containing a bog body, was identified during annual peat cutting. Excavation demonstrated that the feature was in fact an oval pit containing a quantity of hazel branches, capped with a number of flat slabs of Lewisian Gneiss. Several similar stones had been placed in the base of the feature, overlying more hazel branches.
Keywords: Radiocarbon, Wood Growthring Analysis, Sphagnum, Pit, Hazel, Bog Body, Hazel Pieces, Basket, Lewisian Gneiss
Period: Bronze Age
Location: Western Isles, Scotland, UK
