Hidden depths: thirty years of archaeology in Scottish towns

Conservation and Change in Historic Towns: Research Directions for the Future, 1999

This paper serves as an introduction to the special edition of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology on the theme of Scottish historical archaeology in its international context. The introduction aims to provide a context for the individual papers in the collection by briefly outlining some of the main characteristics of Scottish historical archaeology-as it has developed in the past, as it is at present and as it might develop in the future. The paper also discusses the ambiguous relationship between Scottish historical archaeology and wider historical archaeology.

Historic rural settlements have long been an undervalued part of Scotland's history. However, a growing professional interest in rural archaeology, and the desire to involve local communities in developing a more informed and sustainable approach to the historic environment, inspired the Scotland's Rural Past (SRP) project. For five years, SRP has provided suppoty for volunteers from across Scotland to research, record and raise awareness of their rural heritage. Together, these volunteers have made a substantial contribution to our understanding and appreciation of the nation's rural settlement history, and to its future preservation. This book is dedicated to all the SRP participants, whose enthusiasm has been at the heart of the project's success. In the spirit of SRP, much of this publication has been written by those participants, in their own words. It is a celebration of their acheivements.

2000

Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports

This is a report on archaeological work in two of Scotland's less well-known medieval burghs of Kelso and Peebles. The excavations at Wester Kelso/Floors Castle established that the original medieval burgh of Kelso or Wester Kelso was much further west than previously believed, being situated well inside the present Castle policies. That early settlement at Wester Kelso appears to have been abandoned in the 14th or 15th centuries, at the same time that the royal burgh of Roxburgh was deserted, probably as a result of the English occupation of Roxburgh Castle. The other settlement of Easter Kelso, near the abbey, survived and expanded northwards from the abbey along Roxburgh Street. The finding of a possible building terrace in Phase 1 at 13-19 Roxburgh Street indicates that settlement along the southern end of that street could date to as early as the 13th or 14th centuries. Combining the archaeological, cartographic and documentary evidence, it seems clear that 'Easter'...

Internet Archaeology, 2021

Hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) is the primary place of deposit for archaeological archives in Scotland. Built up over several decades, the archives hold over 1.6m items, both analogue and digital, linked to a site inventory of over 320,000 site records relating to the archaeological and architectural history of Scotland. Initially the survey archive of the former Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, the collections now include project archives from professional archaeological companies, academic researchers and, increasingly, community projects. A range of policy and professional drivers, as well as best practice, encourage archival deposition. The digital component of the archive has grown considerably over the last decade. In response, the NRHE has invested in preservation software to manage these holdings and has submitted an application for CoreTrustSeal. The NRHE is available...

In: Colin Shepherd (ed.), Society and Ecology in the History of North-East Scotland: Bennachie and the Garioch, 2013

What can archaeology contribute to the 19th-century history of Bennachie? a recent collaborative effort between the University of aberdeen and the Bailies of Bennachie is beginning to shed new light on the cultural landscape of the colony site. two seasons of shovel test-pitting and a single season deturfing 19thcentury crofting structures indicates a much richer and more ambiguous legacy of the so-called 'squatters', who once called Bennachie home. initial observations suggest an interesting amount of internal variation at the site, hinting at various forms of social and economic distinction. at the same time, other patterns suggest important commonalities with contemporary rural settlements. The creation of a variety of data sets has prompted many new questions and has set the stage for future research collaborations.

This study sought to find how the opening of the National Museum of Scotland and the newly devolved Scottish Parliament in 1998 had affected the display of archaeology in Scottish museums. This dissertation considers the National Museum as a prototype, for comparison with later displays at Kelvingrove, Glasgow; the McManus, Dundee, and the Hunterian, Glasgow. This dissertation found that archaeological displays have changed greatly since 1998. There has been a paring back of interpretation to simple, broad concepts and a return to a focus on the archaeological object at the expense of reconstructions. The interpretation is now appropriately uncertain for a constructivist, post-modern post-processual world and is no longer authoritatively didactic. The displays, however, still do not invite viewers to consider the motives of the interpreter or consider their biases. Furthermore, there has been renewed confidence in the display of Scottish material, and traditionally displayed material from the classical Mediterranean is no longer as prominent. It is argued that this is due to devolution and the working toward a confident Scottish identity.

1972

2012

Science in Scottish Archaeology iv these questions data of sufficient richness is required that is accessible, both within Scotland and internationally. The RCAHMS' database Canmore provides a model for digital dissemination that should be built on.  Integration: Archaeological science should be involved early in the process of archaeological investigation and as a matter of routine. Resultant data needs to be securely stored, made accessible and the research results widely disseminated. Sources of advice and its communication must be developed and promoted to support work in the commercial, academic, research, governmental and 3 rd sectors.  Knowledge exchange and transfer: knowledge, data and skills need to be routinely transferred and embedded across the archaeological sector. This will enable the archaeological science community to better work together, establishing routes of communication and improving infrastructure. Improvements should be made to communication between different groups including peers, press and the wider public. Mechanisms exist to enable the wider community to engage with, and to feed into, the development of the archaeological and scientific database and to engage with current debates. Projects involving the wider community in data generation should be encouraged and opportunities for public engagement should be pursued through, for example, National Science Week and Scottish Archaeology Month.  Networks and forums: A network of specialists should be promoted to aid collaboration, provide access to the best advice, and raise awareness of current work. This would be complemented by creating a series inter-disciplinary working groups, to discuss and articulate archaeological science issues. An online service to match people (i.e. specialist or student) to material (whether e.g. environmental sample, artefactual assemblage, or skeletal assemblage) is also recommended. An annual meeting should also be held at which researchers would be able to promote current and future work, and draw attention to materials available for analysis, and to specialists/students looking to work on particular assemblages or projects. Such meetings could be rolled into a suitable public outreach event. Science in Scottish Archaeology 1 1. Chronology 1.1 14 C measurements on 15 carbonized residues from 11 different archaeological contexts. The measurements are in agreement with the model assumption that they belong to a single phase of activity. This activity dates the introduction of Shelly Ware in Perth to cal AD 930-1020 (95% probability; start Shellyware: Perth, Scotland) [cal AD 960-1000 (68% probability)]. Shelly Ware fell out of use in Perth in cal AD 1020-1120 (95% probability; end Shellyware: Perth, Scotland) [cal AD 1030-1070 (68% probability)]. (N.B. These results vary very slightly from those analysed using OxCal 3.10 and reported in Hall et al. (2007)). 1.3 Cosmogenic nuclide and Ar/Ar dating techniques and facilities in Scotland 1