EHG4180 - Excavation - Caird's Cave, Rosemarkie

An excavation was carried out by the Rosemarkie Caves Project between June and July 2010 to clarify if Caird's Cave, Rosemarkie, had been previously excavated, the extent of those excavations to date and to determine the character and state of preservation of any surviving archaeological deposits. Five trenches were opened within and around the cave. They revealed that the cave had previously been subject to excavation in the early C20. Although extensive intrusive work had previously been carried out, in situ stratified deposits were located within the north eastern half of the cave. These depoists yielded a bone pin and bone working debris. Radiocarbon dates were obtained from this sequence from bone and charcoal with the layers, gave an estimated range of 4th or 3rd century BC to 2nd or 3rd century AD. Additional dating from the worked bone and antler artefacts from the previous excavations at the site provided evidence of activity in the C7th/C8th AD and the post medieval-modern periods. <1>