EHG5320 - Excavation Phase 1 - A9 Berriedale Braes, Berriedale, Caithness

The first phase of archaeological excavation carried out in advance of improvement works to the existing A9 road at Berriedale Braes in Caithness. The excavation was required in order to investigate an area where prehistoric lithic artefacts had been discovered during a previous phase of investigative fieldwork. The fieldwork was undertaken between 24th September and 5th October 2018. Five trenches were excavated in the planned location of the new road alignment in order to determine the locations of lithics artefact concentrations and areas of archaeological potential. There were two sites of primary interest are situated on flat terraces on clifftops overlooking the North Sea. Both areas revealed an in situ occupation layer containing high quantities of struck lithics, a variety of stone types comprising manufacturing debris, cores and microliths characteristic of the Scottish Mesolithic period. One area also contained subsurface features, pits and possible linear cuts, that have survived within the natural subsoil. <1>