City of Edinburgh

THE remains of a hilltop home believed to be about 5,000 years old have been discovered on the outskirts of Edinburgh, The Scotsman can reveal.

The Neolithic roundhouse, found on a site where a quarry is due to be expanded, is one of the oldest prehistoric buildings to be discovered in the capital.

Archaeologists have hailed it as one of the most important finds ever made in Edinburgh because of its age – about the same as Skara Brae in Orkney – and unique location.

It is also expected to help fill in a largely unknown chapter in Scottish history, when farming had only recently spread to Britain from Europe.

The site, at Ravelrig Hill, near Dalmahoy, enjoys spectacular views across the Lothians and Fife, including landmarks such as Arthur’s Seat.

Experts believe the roundhouse was probably built by one of the first families of farmers to start producing their own food in the area.

Experts from Glasgow University’s Archaeological Research Division (Guard) have spent several months working in the area, which is already home to the remains of two prehistoric hill forts. The house, remains of which were found in a huge circular ditch, was surrounded by a larger egg-shaped enclosure.

Although no materials such as pottery have been discovered, archaeologists have been able to date flint recovered from the site, and the remains of an internal fireplace were found.

The site is thought to be roughly the same age as the cairn at Cairnpapple Hill, which is widely regarded as Scotland’s most prehistoric burial site and can be seen from Ravelrig Hill.

Donna Maguire, project director for Guard, said there may once have been a number of settlements on the hill, lost when quarrying began in the area more than 150 years ago.

The discovery was only made because Edinburgh City Council insisted that an archaeological dig was carried out before construction giant Tarmac was allowed to expand its quarrying operation in the area.

Ms Maguire told The Scotsman: “We had no idea we would find anything like this, so it was hugely exciting. There’s been very little like this discovered anywhere in the Central Belt. It dates from around the time of early farming but very little is known of that era in Scotland and that’s why it’s so significant.

“It was clearly built at the top of the hill because of its location overlooking the landscape. In a way, it was intended to make people see it and regard it as an important landmark.”

John Lawson, the city council’s archaeologist, said: “Although remains of buildings discovered at Cramond within the last ten years have been dated to 8,500 years ago, this is one of the most significant prehistoric sites to have been found in the wider Edinburgh area for many years.”

All materials recovered are being taken away for analysis. The discovery is not expected to delay work to expand the quarry. Tarmac has been quarrying there since 1987.

By BRIAN FERGUSON

news.scotsman.com/scotland/5000yearold-home-of-capital39s-first.5097272.jp

Living in an age of stone – Gabriel Cooney
The Rhind Lectures for 2007. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

27.04.2007 to 29.04.2007
Free and open to all – no ticket required

This series of Rhind lectures will examine how people lived with stone during the Neolithic in Ireland and Britain, how they engaged with this remarkable material in all its diversity, using it to make new worlds, to establish, maintain and change cultural relationships and connections across geographical space and through time. Material and case studies from stone-using societies in different parts of the world will be drawn on to provide a wider context for the discussion. It will be suggested that looking at the processes of the working of stone, the creation of things, big and small, and their uses provides us with a way of linking objects and monuments which we often tend to see as unrelated phenomena with very different senses of scale and purpose. Focusing on the way in which people engaged and worked with stone provides a new perspective and insight into cultural knowledge during the Neolithic in Ireland and Britain. Free and open to all. No ticket required. For more information, contact [email protected].

added for
Erin Osborne-Martin
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Latest RC dating on skull reveals that the man died around 2150 BCE;

edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=401752007

FOR more than a century the skull has lain in storage as part of the national museum collection.

But now radiocarbon testing has established the remains – discovered in a stone box grave in Edinburgh by 19th century workmen – are hundreds of years older than anyone realised.

It has become clear the skull belonged to a Bronze Age man who lived in the area which almost 4000 years later became Juniper Green.

The discovery has added a new dimension to the area’s 300th anniversary celebrations this year.

The skull was found in a carefully-constructed cist, or stone box grave, during excavations in 1851. It was handed over to archaeologists at the time and ever since has been kept in a collection which became part of the National Museum of Scotland. However, no-one realised the significance of the find, until now, with little known about the precise age of the skull.

The discovery of its great age came after it was chosen to take part in a £500,000 international research project using modern dating technology.

Radiocarbon dating was carried out on the skull by the museum and the results revealed the man died between the ages of 40 and 55 around the year 2150BC.

Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis at Leipzig University in Germany has revealed more about the man, including that his diet was high in animal protein, although he didn’t eat fish.

Work is continuing at the university in the hope of shedding more light on Bronze Age life in the area.

The discovery has already established the likelihood of a previously unknown settlement in the Juniper Green area.

Dr Alison Sheridan, head of early prehistory at the National Museum of Scotland’s archaeology department, said: “It is fascinating that within all the celebrations of Juniper Green’s past we have been able to confirm that there was life in the area long before the village was formed.

“We are certain that he lived in the area – he was bound to have. We know that Bronze Age cemeteries and settlements were pretty close but nobody has found the settlement yet.”

It was one of 250 skulls being studied as part of the Beaker People Project being run between Sheffield and Leipzig universities and the Museum of Scotland.

It was originally found in 1851 in a house which is now the Scotts butcher shop on Lanark Road.

Professors at Leipzig are now awaiting results of strontium and oxygen tests on the enamel of the skull’s back teeth to see whether the man was born in the area.

The revelation about Juniper Green’s history is an important addition to the understanding of Edinburgh’s Bronze Age past.

It means that it joins a growing number of sites where Bronze Age activity has been noted, including Cramond, Traprain Law, Broomhouse and Huly Hill.

Archaeologists date the earliest inhabitants of the Lothians – and Scotland – to 8000 BC following the discovery of a Mesolithic house in East Barns, near Dunbar.

The dating of the skull has left residents in Juniper Green taken aback, especially at the butchers shop that it was first found at.

Colin Hanlon, owner of Scotts, said: “It’s a huge shock that there were people here all that time ago.

“The whole community is alive with all this at the moment – everyone’s talking about it. We may arrange something to celebrate that it was here that the village’s oldest resident was found.”

Prof Cliff Beevers, who set up the Juniper Green 300 website and has been arranging many of the celebratory events, said: “We are all delighted to hear that there is evidence of people living here 4000 years ago – not just 300 like we thought. We are building up a living memory of the village and this discovery is a great help in doing that.”

Dr Sheridan will present her findings in a presentation at Juniper Green Parish Church at 7.30pm on Thursday.

WORKMEN digging up a city street in preparation for a new bus route have uncovered an Iron Age structure.

The remains of the 3000-year-old stone enclosure were discovered in the Broomhouse area.

Archeologists believe the 130ft by 100ft structure dates back to around 1000BC, making it from the late Bronze or early Iron Age.

The remains were uncovered by Balfour Beatty workmen excavating the site as part of preparation works for the West Edinburgh Busway.

The construction firm is carrying out works on behalf of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh near the Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line.

A fuller evaluation of the site is now being conducted by Headland Archeology.

A spokesman for the company said the structure would need to be closely examined before its secrets are revealed.

He added: “The development on this site has given us an opportunity to carry out research into the historical landscape of the Broomhouse area. It’s likely the timber structure was used as a farm steading enclosure or a corral for livestock.

“Excavating, recording and collecting artefacts from the site will give us a better understanding of what it was used for.”

Council archeologist John Lawson agreed the ancient structure was a significant find.

“This is the first such monument to be excavated within the city’s boundaries,” he said.

“It probably dates to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, although recent work in Scotland has shown that this type of enclosure may also date to the early medieval period, around the tenth to 13th century AD.

“Either way, it is an important site in Edinburgh’s history.”

The West Edinburgh Bus System will provide travellers with a bus service from Ingliston to the city centre, passing through residential areas such as Stenhouse as well as Edinburgh Park.

It has been described as a vital part of the city’s public transport scheme.

It is not known whether the find will delay work to the project, scheduled to finish later this year.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, executive member for sports, culture and leisure, said the find was a valuable part of the city’s history.

“The discovery of these remains at Broomhouse will further help piece together Edinburgh’s past,” he said.

“Preserving and recording the findings will add valuable information to the bank of knowledge the city has built up through its archeological finds to date.”

In July last year, the accidental discovery of a 200-year-old map led to the location of the long-lost settlement of Whittingehame in East Lothian, which dated from the seventh century but was abandoned nearly 300 years ago.

Investigations of the field near East Linton identified the site of old buildings, including the pub, a blacksmith’s and school, while a host of relics were brought to the surface by a farmer’s plough.

About 200 villagers lived at the site at one time, until the 18th century when agriculture declined and it was abandoned.

Further archeological work was to be carried out on the area to expose the foundations of the buildings where relics have been recovered.

news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=226522004

The 400BC Ferrari

The Iron Age chariot unearthed at an Edinburgh building site has been proved the oldest in Britain.

Radiocarbon tests on the wheels of the chariot have proved it dates back to 400BC – 200 years earlier than the previous oldest British find.

Scientists have just finished studying the remains and it is now being prepared to go on public display, probably at the Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street.

The only other places in Western Europe where similar discoveries have been made are in East Yorkshire and France.

The discovery of the Iron Age chariot – hailed as one of the most important ever made in Scotland – was made near another historic city site.

The chariot is remarkably complete, with surviving parts including its base, two wheels and even the remains of a bridle.

The National Museums of Scotland is carrying out conservation work on the remains so they can go on public display.

link:
news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=8102004

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Chariot proves Iron Age links with Europe
by STEPHEN STEWART, September 25 2003

ARCHAEOLOGISTS studying an ancient chariot burial have found evidence that Iron Age Scots had far closer ties with Europe than previously thought.
Experts examining the unprecedented find at Newbridge, west of Edinburgh, have proved it is the oldest chariot in the UK and uncovered great similarities between the vehicle and associated burial rites found on the Continent, indicating a close familiarity with mainland European practices. Whole story here

14th -16th March 2003
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, and the Neolithic Studies Group
CONFERENCE
SCOTLAND IN ANCIENT EUROPE: THE NEOLITHIC AND EARLY BRONZE AGE OF SCOTLAND IN THEIR EUROPEAN CONTEXT
Royal Museum, Edinburgh

Key speaker – Richard Bradley