MHG558 - Wooden Bowl - Polloch
Summary
Findspot of medieval wooden dish or bowl.
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD to 1559 AD) + Sci.Date
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
This dish was found in July 1991 in mud at the edge of the River Polloch, and at a depth of about 0.3m; it has also been published as from Loch Doilet. It is unusual in form, being roughly rectangular around the inside of the rim while the flat bottom is more nearly circular on plan and two prominent opposing flat handles project from the rim. The overall measurements are 0.3m by 0.297m, while the handles and the base measure up to 32mm and about 12mm in thickness respectively.
The dish is of alder and apparently remains unfinished. The base is roughly-worked and displays various cutmarks while the sides have numerous indistinct vertical toolmarks of a narrow and flat or slightly curved tool. Charring may be identified both within the interior and (less obviously) externally.
The vessel is currently in conservation at the Royal Museum of Scotland (under NMS daybook number DB 1991/33). It has been radiocarbon-dated to 910 +/- 80 ad (OxA-3539), which determination may be calibrated to about 995 cal AD.
R E M Hedges, R A Housley, C Bronk-Ramsey and G J van Klinken 1993; C Earwood 1993; R J C Mowat 1996; information from Mr T Cowie.
Loch Shiel (Polloch). NM 783 689 A shallow wooden-handled trough was found in shallow water on the edge of the channel where the River Polloch flows into Loch Shiel. It has been 14C dated to 800-1165 cal.AD. The finder, Master Guy Roberts, donated the vessel to the National Museum of Scotland.
Daybook no.DB 1991/33
NMS 1992.
An uncalibrated date of 1040 ± 80 BP was published in the 1993 in volume 35 of Archaometry for the bowl. <1>
Sources/Archives (6)
- --- SHG1061 Text/Publication/Article: NMS. 1992. 'Loch Shiel (Polloch) (Ardnamurchan parish): Norse/medieval wooden trough', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1992, p.42-3. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 42-3. 42-3.
- --- SHG1375 Text/Publication/Article: Hedges, Housley, Bronk-Ramsey and Van Klinken, R E M, R A, C R and G J. 1993. ''Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry datelist 16',', Archaeometry Vol. 35 1993, p.147-67. Archaeometry. 147-67. 156.
- --- SHG1646 Text/Publication/Article: Earwood, C. 1993. 'The dating of wooden troughs and dishes', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 123 1993, p.355-62. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 355-62. 359-60, 361.
- --- SHG2155 Text/Publication/Volume: Earwood, C. 1993. Domestic wooden artefacts in Britain and Ireland from Neolithic to Viking times. 285.
- --- SHG2548 Text/Publication/Volume: Mowat, R J C. 1996. The logboats of Scotland, with notes on related artefact types. 103-4, 113, no. A61; tab. 1.
- <1> SHG28531 Text/Publication/Article: Hedges, R.E.M., Housley, R.A., Brink Ramsey, C., Van Klinken, G.J.. 1993. 'Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS System: Archaeometry Datelist 16' in Archaeometry Volume 35, Issue 1. Archeometry. 147-167. Online. pp. 156.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 7830 6899 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM76NE |
| Civil Parish | ARISAIG AND MOIDART |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (1)
- BOWL (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD to 1559 AD) + Sci.Date
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/73673 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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