EHG5763 - Watching brief and excavation - proposed housing development, Kirkhill

An archaeological watching brief and associated excavation were carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in 2021 at Kirkhill, Inverness, ahead of a proposed housing development. The watching brief was required as an evaluation carried out in March 2021 (see EHG5762) identified fifteen prehistoric features, including postholes and pits, in addition to a previously unknown cup-marked stone. The watching brief uncovered a further eighty-two features consisting of one roundhouse, nine pit groups, two possible fire-pits and various other isolated pits and postholes. The roundhouse comprised a post-ring with a SSE-facing porch and multiple internal pit features. Nine pit groups, three linear curved features, three rectangular features and four fire-pits were recorded in close proximity to the roundhouse location, while across other areas of the site were isolated pits, which did not form meaningful arrangements. The results from the archaeological work Kirkhill suggest that the site was the location of a prehistoric settlement with associated activities. Post-excavation analyses will be required to understand the chronology and the activities undertaken on the site. <1> Post-excavation analyses were subsequently uindertaken. The site is on a raised beach on the south side of the Beauly Firth and is within a landscape rich in both upland and lowland prehistoric remains. A multi-period prehistoric settlement was revealed and included Neolithic pits, a Middle Bronze Age roundhouse and Middle Iron Age pits and postholes. The Neolithic pits formed a broad double arc and were filled with hearth waste including charred barley, wheat and flax grains, and pottery, including round-based carinated bowls. Hazel and alder charcoal from three of the pits produced radiocarbon determinations broadly between 3500 – 3350 BC. The roundhouse comprised a 7m diameter post-ring with a porch on the south-east side, a central pit and internal shallow pits interpreted as working or wear hollows. Burnt remains of structural timbers of oak and alder, and wattle/wicker screens or mats of hazel roundwood indicated that the structure had burnt down. Fuel ash slag and vitrified ceramics recovered from the postholes and central pit indicated high temperature burning. Hazel roundwood charcoal recovered from the postholes and internal features returned dates between 1500 – 1300 BC. The Iron Age features on the site comprised pits and postholes and two possible small rectangular structures were identified. There were no substantial structures on site, but evidence of metalworking and a carefully deposited ring-headed pin in one of the pits suggests that they may be at the edge of a larger settlement to the west. The site is a typical multi-period prehistoric site found commonly across Scotland and highlights the strategic and environmental benefits of its good location on a raised beach overlooking tidal mudflats and wetland, contributing to the longevity of settlement. <2>