MHG55328 - Cut features and Early Bronze Age pottery - Dalmore Farm, Alness
Summary
A series of cut features were identified during trial trenching along with a large amount of Early Bronze Age pottery, none of which was securely stratified.
Type and Period (3)
- PIT (Bronze Age - 2400 BC? to 551 BC?)
- POST HOLE (Early Bronze Age to 19th Century - 2400 BC? to 1900 AD?)
- FINDSPOT (Early Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 1501 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
151 sherds of Early Bronze Age ritual pottery were recovered from a single trench during an archaeological evaluation of land at Dalmore Farm. The trench contained a number of pits of uncertain, but possibly prehistoric, date. The pits were all ill-defined and apparently disturbed by former root action. Other features in the trench were probably of natural origin. Some of the sherds were recovered from within the topsoil, and none were from secure contexts owing to severe disturbance from rabbit burrowing and root action. A high proportion of rims was noted, suggesting they had originally been placed upside down in pits. This pottery was examined by Beverley Ballin Smith of GUARD and most sherds were identified as Early Bronze Age. There may be at least three different collared urns, to judge by the decoration. There is a significant portion of one vessel; another, with piercing and fingernail decoration is very unusual, and a third has vertical finger dimple decoration. There is also an isolated sherd with stab and drag decoration. A full discussion of the ceramics and any other finds will be included with the final report. <1> <2> <3>
A report on the prehistoric pottery was produced by Beverley Ballin Smith. See attached report. <4>
The excavation assemblage from the site was submitted to Treasure Trove (TT 159/13) and allocated to Inverness Musem. <5>
The pottery is listed under Acc. No. 2015.012 in the Inverness Museum catalogue. <6>
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SHG25539 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Wood, J. 09/2011. Proposed housing development at Dalmore, Alness: Site Evaluation (2005). Highland Archaeology Services Ltd. Digital. Trench 35. XY
- <2> SHG25540 Collection/Project Archive: Wood, J. 09/2011. Proposed housing development at Dalmore, Alness: Site Evaluation (2005). Highland Archaeology Services Ltd. Digital.
- <3> SHG25541 Text/Publication/Serial: McAdam, E and Millburn, P. 2006. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland - New Series, Volume 7, 2006. Paper (Original). p 101.
- <4> SHG28542 Text/Report: Ballin-Smith B. 2006/7. Report on the Prehistoric Pottery, Dalmore, Alness. Digital.
- <5> SHG28208 Dataset/Database File: Treasure Trove. 2019. Highland Finds from Treasure Trove Annual Reports 2004-18. Treasure Trove. Digital. TT 159/13.
- <6> SHG25836 Collection/Catalogue: Inverness Museum & Art Gallery. Inverness Museum & Art Gallery Accession registers. 2015.012.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 6610 6893 (50m by 50m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH66NE |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | ROSSKEEN |
Finds (3)
- COLLARED URN (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- VESSEL (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- BEAKER (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (1)
- http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/293468/details/alness+dalmore/ (RCAHMS Canmore record)
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