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Festivals

Ancient Festival Site Uncovered in Scotland

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in Scotland, uncovering a 7000-year-old Neolithic festival site near a secondary school. The site, discovered during the construction of new football pitches, has revealed the remains of an early Neolithic settlement that was a focal point for Scotland's first farming communities. The discovery, led by GUARD Archaeologists, has shed light on the lives of Scotland's earliest farmers, providing a unique insight into their culture, rituals, and daily lives.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Carnoustie excavation produced exceptional results, with the discovery of the largest early Neolithic timber hall ever found in Scotland, dating back to around 4000 BC.
  • The hall was 35 meters long and 9 meters wide, built of oak with opposed doorways, and had a large roof supported by paired massive timber posts.
  • The site also revealed a smaller companion timber hall, almost 20m long and more than 8m wide, which was likely used for domestic purposes.
  • The larger hall yielded evidence of deliberate deposition of stone artefacts, which archeologists believe are traces of the beliefs and rituals of the community that built and used it.
  • The Carnoustie timber halls may have been a focal point, attracting people from a wider area, with hazel nuts found in the site suggesting that autumn was an important season for meeting and feasting.
  • The site continued to be visited after the buildings were dismantled, with evidence of people camping and gathering outside the site until around 2500 BC.
  • A rare and well-preserved metalwork hoard, including a sword, spearhead, and swan's neck pin, was found wrapped in woolen cloth and sheep-skin, dating back to the late Bronze Age (around 1118-924 BC).
  • A settlement was established at Carnoustie during the Bronze Age, approximately 1400 BC, with a single roundhouse being built and later replaced multiple times over the centuries.

Statistics:

  • The Carnoustie excavation uncovered a 35-meter-long and 9-meter-wide early Neolithic timber hall, dated to around 4000 BC.
  • The site revealed a smaller companion timber hall, almost 20m long and more than 8m wide, which was used for domestic purposes.
  • The larger hall yielded evidence of 25 deliberate depositions of stone artefacts, likely related to the community's beliefs and rituals.
  • The Carnoustie site remained inhabited until around 2500 BC, with a small field mouse being the last known occupant.
  • The metalwork hoard was discovered, including a sword, spearhead, and swan's neck pin, all wrapped in woolen cloth and sheep-skin.

Sources:

  • GUARD Archaeologists
  • Beverley Ballin Smith
  • Alan Hunter Blair
  • Kathryn Lindsay, Chief Executive of Angus Council
  • Warren Bailie
  • Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service
  • Angus Council

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