EHG6411 - Watching brief - new house plot, Main Street, Portmahomack

An archaeological controlled topsoil strip and watcing brief were carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in 2024 at Main Street, Portmahomack, Ross-shire in relation to a one-house development. Two distinct horizons of well-preserved archaeological deposits were identified, excavated, and recorded across the southern part of the site. The deposits were also seen to extend beyond the limit of excavation to the southwest, southeast and northeast. The archaeological features and deposits across the site represent an intense industrial area focused on the production of burnt seashells, with direct parallels to similar deposits previously excavated at other nearby locations, dating to the medieval period. The detail recorded in these excavations adds a significant level of clarity and understanding to the findings of the earlier evaluation in 2022 (see EHG5636). A number of deposits of storm surge sand were encountered separating several different phases of archaeology, and a further deep deposit of peat-rich material was seen at the base of geotechnical test pits toward the southern side of the site. It was considered that both of these types of deposits had significant potential for the understanding of the occupation pattern and the palaeo-environment of Portmahomack and the Dornoch Firth during the later prehistoric and early medieval periods. <1>