Excavations at the Black Spout, Pitlochry, and the Iron Age M... by David Strachan

The project aimed to date one of the turf structures in order to confirm or deny its potential early Medieval date and how it related to these earlier sites. Like Pitcarmick itself, the site at Lair comprises a relatively dispersed settlement of long-houses on the site of an earlier prehistoric settlement (round houses of probable late Bronze Age or Iron Age date) and, in the case of Lair, a ring-cairn of probable earlier Bronze Age date. The sites are particularly important as early medieval buildings are rarely found elsewhere in Scotland, with the exception of Viking settlement in the Outer Isles. In addition, very few have been excavated to date, the notable exception being the site-type itself (Barrett & Downes 1994) which is currently being published (Carver forthcoming).

While many of these elongated turf and timber houses of the late first millennium have been identified in this upland area (RCAHMS 1990) their overall distribution is still poorly understood. The project looked to adding some much needed depth to the available information on the Pitcarmick-type buildings of north-east Perthshire. The project was carried out through a community archaeology approach which provided learning opportunities for participants through involvement in fieldwork/desk-based research and through the dissemination of the results. The site of Lair is located in Glenshee, Perth and Kinross (NGR: NO 1394 6378) on terraces of a south facing slope, at a height of between c 360 and 380 m OD, which affords good views. The 2012 season of the Glenshee Archaeology Project focused on the partial excavation of a potential early medieval ‘Pitcarmick’ type building. It publishes excavation reports and other archaeological volumes, including the bi-annual Israel Exploration Journal and the bi-annual Hebrew-language journal Qadmoniot.Pitcarmick type house Trench 1 from above © George Logan The IES disseminates knowledge gained from the exploration of Israel to the general public in Israel and abroad, through annual archaeological conferences, meetings, and congresses. Major activities include organizing excavations, enlisting financial support for archaeological projects, and cooperation with Israeli and foreign institutions in the field of publication in a collective effort to promote the cause of archaeology. It plays a key role in archaeological research covering all periods from prehistoric times to the Ottoman period, coordinating much of the multi-institutional archaeological research conducted by Israeli and foreign archaeological expeditions. Over the years, it has organized and sponsored some of the most important archaeological projects carried out in the country. Israel Exploration Society (IES) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to further historical, geographical and archaeological research concerning the Land of Israel.

Excavations at the Black Spout, Pitlochry, and the Iron Age M... by David Strachan