Category Archives: 2025 News

Interactions between the Britons and Romans beyond the Roman Frontier

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Newly published research by GUARD Archaeology reveals how a rare enamelled Roman brooch provides insight into how the local Britons of south-west Scotland interacted with the Roman army during the late second century AD.

Aerial view of GUARD Archaeology’s excavation of the palisaded settlement at the Curragh

Excavations undertaken at William Grant & Sons Girvan Distillery at the Curragh in South Ayrshire in 2020 uncovered an Iron Age settlement dating to a period when southern Scotland had slipped from the grasp of the Roman Empire. The team of GUARD Archaeologists discovered the remains of what had once been a substantial timber roundhouse surrounded by a stout wooden palisade, with a large gated entranceway, likely the dwelling of a wealthy farming household.

During the excavation, the GUARD Archaeologists recovered an enamelled bronze brooch from the bottom of the foundation trench that held the timber palisade in place. What made this find unusual was that it was not local but was of a distinctly Roman origin.

‘This exotic brooch and others like it typically date to the late second century AD, and are most commonly found along the borders of the Roman Empire, in eastern Gaul, Switzerland and the Rhineland,’ said Jordan Barbour, who co-authored the report. ‘Their distribution pattern suggests that these brooches were particularly popular among members of the Roman military forces, so it’s likely that it came north of Hadrian’s Wall on the cloak of a Roman soldier tasked with garrisoning the Empire’s northernmost frontier.’

What makes this artefact all the more interesting is how it was used by the Iron Age inhabitants of this settlement. There was no evidence that it had been worn by a local Briton. Instead, they had buried it as a foundation deposit, a votive sacrifice of sorts, when constructing the timber palisade around their roundhouse.

‘It’s difficult to say exactly why the brooch was deposited within the palisade trench, but we know that ritualised foundation offerings are observed across many cultures, typically enacted to grant protection to a household, and this is certainly a possibility here,’ said Jordan Barbour. ‘As to how it ended up here, there are a few plausible scenarios. It’s the only Roman artefact recovered from the site. If the inhabitants had established regular trade with Roman Britain, we might expect to find a greater variety of Roman objects, but this is a solidly native context. Rather, the brooch is more likely to have been obtained through ad hoc exchange with Roman troops operating north of Hadrian’s Wall, perhaps even taken in battle as a trophy.’

The Curragh Iron Age dwelling was situated atop a rocky plateau with a steep escarpment acting to deny access from the immediate north, and it may well be the case that the dwelling was sited here and enclosed with a strong timber palisade, due to defensive concerns. Although there were no contemporary Roman forts nearby after the abandonment of the Antonine Wall earlier in the second century AD, an earlier first century AD Roman marching camp some two kilometres to the south-west attests to previous military presence in the area, and conflict between the local Britons and Roman soldiers is likely to have been a recurring element of Rome’s intermittent occupation of south-west Scotland.

This palisaded roundhouse was not the only archaeological feature the GUARD Archaeologists found at the Curragh. The enduring appeal of the plateau was proven by an earlier unenclosed roundhouse that was radiocarbon dated to around the seventh century BC, many centuries before the Romans arrived in Britain. And traces of even more ancient inhabitation were evidenced by the recovery of pottery dating to the early Neolithic period, when a large timber monument was constructed here, between 3,700 and 3,500 BC.

ARO59 A Neolithic Monument, Iron Age Homesteads and Early Medieval Kilns: excavations at the Curragh, Girvan by Jordan Barbour and Dave McNichol is freely available to download from Archaeology Reports Online.

The archaeological work was undertaken by GUARD Archaeology for McLaughlin & Harvey and funded by William Grant & Sons Distillers Ltd. The work was required as a condition of planning consent by South Ayrshire Council who are advised on archaeological matters by the West of Scotland Archaeology Service, who considered there to be a potential for hitherto unknown archaeology to be buried at the site due to the proximity of known prehistoric archaeology.

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Uncovering Moredun farmstead

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GUARD Archaeologists are leading an excavation at Moredunvale in Edinburgh to uncover the remains of Moredun Mains farmstead that once stood on this site. And members of the public are welcome to join in and participate.

Depicted on the Ordnance Survey’s map of 1877, Moredun Mains comprised three buildings arranged in an inverted U-shape on plan. The excavation is targeting the archaeological remains highlighted by a previous geophysical survey in order to reveal traces of life on this farmstead. 

The farmstead isn’t the only archaeology that survives around Moredunvale. Traces of a prehistoric landscape survive in the surrounding area, standing stones, prehistoric burials and random findspots of stone axes have previously been recorded close by.

We don’t know what the excavation might uncover, but there is certainly a story to be uncovered and told!

Come along and join in! No prior experience required.

Monday 10 February – Wednesday 19 February 2025 from 9am to 3pm each day, including the weekend.

To book a place on the dig, please contact: jen.cochrane@guard-archaeology.co.uk

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Archaeological Research Award Nomination

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A community archaeology project enabled by GUARD Archaeology has been nominated for an Archaeological Research Project of the Year Award.

Working together with the Arthur Trail Association, local volunteers and heritage groups, and specialists from a variety of universities and institutes including the National Museums of Scotland and the Universities of Aberdeen, St Andrews and Stirling, the Drumelzier’s Hidden Heritage project investigated the archaeological roots of Drumelzier’s Merlin legend.

Until the fieldwork got underway in 2022, Drumelzier’s folklore was assumed to have simply originated from a wandering medieval minstrel, who had weaved random nearby landmarks into a local version of a tale that was widely known across medieval Europe.

The team of archaeologists and volunteers investigated Tinnis Castle, where according to the Drumelzier legend the protagonist was imprisoned by a Dark Age tyrant. The archaeological evidence they uncovered revealed that the hillfort underlying the castle was occupied around AD 600, precisely when the story was set and which has the hallmarks of a lordly stronghold of the time.

The team also undertook a geophysics survey of ground where according to the local legend the protagonist was buried on the banks of the Tweed and Powsail Burn. This survey revealed that while there is nothing at the spot marked on maps as the reputed location of Merlin’s Grave at Drumelzier (the red circle below) there is indeed an archaeological feature resembling a grave nearby to this.

The new archaeological evidence does not prove that the local tale was true, but it does demonstrate that the legend very likely originated in Drumelzier itself.

These awards are voted for entirely by the public – there are no panels of judges – so anyone is free to choose the projects, publications, and people they would like to win.

Voting closes on 10 February 2025, and the winners will be announced on 1 March as part of the Current Archaeology Live! 2025 Conference.

If you would like to vote, follow the link to the Research Project of the Year 2025: https://archaeology.co.uk/vote.

The excavation report, ARO56: Unearthing Ancient Tweeddale: Tinnis Castle, Thirlestane Barrows and Merlin’s Grave is freely available to download from www.archaeologyreportsonline.com.

The Drumelzier’s Hidden Heritage project was a collaboration between the Arthur Trail Association, local heritage groups, volunteers, specialists, Magnitude Surveys and GUARD Archaeology Ltd, funded by SSE Renewables Clyde Borders Community Fund, Fallago Environment Fund, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Dr Euan MacKie Legacy Fund, Glenkerie Community Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Hunter Archaeological and Historical Trust, and the Strathmartine Trust.

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