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MHG65818 - Rotary quernstone - An Fharaid

Summary

The upper half of a rotary quern-stone.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.

On a grassed slope immediately above a narrow inlet was the upper half of a rotary quern-stone. The quern measures 0.4 m in diameter and has a maximum thickness of 0.09 m. The central hole has a diameter of 0.09 m and a depth of 0.05 m. This artefact was found in isolation and seems to have been quarried and worked in the immediate environs before being discarded when it broke during carving. This is evidenced by the fact that the central perforation does not go the whole way through. After consultation with the landowner, this artefact was removed for safe keeping and initial study indicates it is a lower quernstone of a type which could date from any time within the past two millenia. <1>

Note: Site not visible on aerial photographs so location based on grid coordinates. (TB 1/5/26)

Sources/Archives (1)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 3801 7131 (25m by 25m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC37SE
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	DURNESS

Finds (1)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

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