The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Tealing

Souterrain

Fieldnotes

Tealing is just north of Dundee on the A929. Turn into the village and follow the road round, and look for the signpost. The souterrain is down a track and over a stile in a field behind the doocot (16th century pigeon house). This site dates from approximately 100 AD, and is a well preserved example. These earth houses were covered over with thatched roofs, and used for storage. The cup and ring marked stone at the northern entrance is thought to have been taken from another site and used in the construction. It has been described thus : This souterrain was accidentally discovered during agricultural operations in 1871. It is curved in plan, and the inner end is rounded; it appears to have been divided into two compartments, and is c 80' long. Its greatest width is 8-1/2', 5' from the inner end, and its maximum height is c 6'4". The sloping floor, where it is not natural rock, seems to have been paved. Finds included charcoal, animal bones, a piece of Samian ware (possibly 2nd century), a bracelet, bronze rings, cinerary urn fragments, 10 querns, whorls, and remains of stone cups. It was not known in 1932 where these finds were, but in 1940, a fragment of Roman glassware from a 1st-2nd century 'pillar-moulded' bowl found here was donated to the NMAS. Built into the N wall of the entrance passage, 2' from the doorway, is a cup-and-ring-marked stone measuring 3' by 2', and there is also a cup-marked stone 12' S of the entrance. It measures 4'6" x 2'6" x 6". It remains in a good state of preservation, and enclosed by a fence. nickbrand Posted by nickbrand
26th October 2002ce

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