MHG2833 - Cist - Mains of Balnagowan
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CIST (Early Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 1501 BC) + Sci.Date
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A short cist was found 200m NE of Mains of Balnagowan farmhouse when ploughing the crest of a S-facing natural sand eminence. Built of red sandstone, it measured 1.0m by 0.6m by 0.5m internally, set in a pit, 1.9m by 1.55m.
The cist contained a fragmentary female skeleton, placed on its right side, orientated W and facing S, accompained by a complete step four beaker placed behind the head and a flint flake placed behind the pelvis. The cist floor consisted of a 100mm thick layer of selected coloured pebbles. The grave-goods are now in Cawdor Castle Museum.
I A G Shepherd and A N Tuckwell 1976+ RCAHMS 1979, visited 1978.
The site of the cist was pointed out at NH 8107 5464 by the finder, the farmer at Mains of Balnagowan.
Visited by OS (J M) 28 January 1981.
A radiocarbon date was obtained in 2009 from the skeletal material as part of the Beaker and Bodies Project. This indicated an Early Bronze Age date of 2140-2030 BC, calibrated to 1 sigma. <1>
A radiocarbon date for the Main of Balnagowan was published as part of the Bristish Museum Beaker Dating Programme in 1991. This produced a date of 1970-1740 BC, calibrated at 1 sigma. A copy of the appendix and illustration of the beaker from this publication was sent to Inverness Museum and is kept within their archive files.<2> <3>
The human remains are listed in the University of Aberdeen Museums and Collections Catalogue, under Acc. No. ABDUA:90013. <4>
Sources/Archives (8)
- --- SHG19 Text/Publication/Article: Shepherd, IAG & AN and Bruce, M M. 1984. 'A beaker burial at Mains of Balnagowan, Ardersier, Inverness District', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 114, pp 560-6.
- --- SHG198 Text/Publication/Article: Shepherd and Tuckwell, I A G and A N. 1976. 'Ardersier, Mains of Balnagown, short cist', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1976, p.44. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 44. 44.
- --- SHG2673 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of North-east Inverness, Inverness District, Highland Region. . 14, No. 73.
- --- SHG3156 Text/Publication/Article: Bruce, M F. 1986. Short cist human skeletal material housed in the Anthropolgical Museum and the Department of Anatomy, University of Aberdeen. SHG23463. 36-8. 38.
- <1> SHG27892 Text/Publication/Article: Wilkin, N. Curtis, N. Hutchinson, M. & Wright, M.. 2009. Further Radiocarbon Dating Results from the Beakers and Bodies Project. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 2009. 216-218. Paper (Copy). 217.
- <2> SHG28442 Text/Publication/Article: Kinnes, I. A., Gibson, A. M., Ambers, J., Bowman, S., Leese, M. N. and Boast, R.. 1991. Radiocarbon dating and the British beakers: the British Museum programme. Scottish Archaeological Review Volume 8. 35-68.
- <3> SHG28371 Collection: Inverness Museum. 2019. Inverness Museum and Art Gallery Archive Files.
- <4> SHG28457 Collection/Finds Collection: University of Aberdeen. 2020. University of Aberdeen Museums and Collection Catalogue. ABDUA:90013.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 8107 5463 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH85SW |
| Civil Parish | ARDERSIER |
| Geographical Area | INVERNESS |
Finds (3)
- BEAKER (Early Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 1501 BC)
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Early Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 1501 BC)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/15212 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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