Sites of the Third Millennium Be to the First Millennium Ad at North Mains
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, (1983)3 11 , 122-281 thire Siteth df s o millenniu firse mth tbo et millennium ad at North Mains, Strathallan, Perthshire Gordon J Barclay* with contributions by L P D Barnetson, S Bohncke, G Collins, CowieG DenstonT B C , HulmeP , KenworthyM , LuntD , , C Pare, R Powers, L Robertson, J C C Romans, J Shirriffs, M Stenhouse, O W Thorpe, R S Thorpe, C R Wickham-Jones, and A Young and illustrations by M Birkeland, J S Rideout, and A Townshend CONTENTS The Henge 123 The Barrow 189 Ring-ditchee 3 Th 24 s Discussion 248 SUMMARY Three sites were excavated: a class II henge, a massive round barrow and a pair of ring-ditches. Five periods of activity were noted on the henge site: I - pre henge-bank activity, including one clase burial th hengeI s I - I ;I ditca , h wit externan ha l bank enclosin gtimbea r ring (late third millennium - be)buria ritual/domestiI d ;II an l c activity formee th , r associated with food vessels, cinerary urnd san a beaker, the latter with beaker material (second millennium be); IV - in situ cremation and burial (late second/early first millennium be); V-long grave cemetery (mid/late first millennium ad). A second timber ring, three burial numbea d san pitf ro ssecurel e coulb t dno y relate thio dt se sequenceth f o e On . Period III food vessels had contained a cereal-based material. barroe Th w covere substantiada land l areol d f asurfaco e (Perio ) exhibitindII g probable culti- vation traces which in turn sealed small pits (Period I). The construction of the barrow (Period III) was undertake phasesx si n ni , which includ compleea x timber substructure (A) ring-bana , k (B) firt a , se e near the top of the mound (D) and a stone capping (F). The mound was largely built of material dug from surroundina g ditch, though large quantitie field-stonf so turd ean f were also used moune Th .bees dha n dated to the early/mid second millennium be. Phosphate concentrations suggest that the barrow had covered burials fooo dTw . vessel sherds were incorporated intlowee oth r mound material spindlA . e whorl was found in the upper part of the mound. Multiple and single cremation deposits and two inhu- mations, both with food vessels wite on ,hdisc-bea a t necklacedje bee d int g mound'e ha ,no du th s surface * Central Excavation Unit, SDD (Ancient Monuments), 3-11 Melville Street, Edinburgh BARCLAY: SITES AT NORTH MAINS, STRATHALLA3 12 | N beed orha n incorporated durin buildings git larg.A e cupmarked barrow'founslae s th b wa t da s summit. The two ring-ditches may have enclosed low barrows. A pit containing cremated bone and 'Western Neolithic' pottery early/mie dateth o dt d third millenniu ring-ditcy b t cu m s . hb2 ewa INTRODUCTION excavatioe Th three th ef n o site t Nortsa h Mains prio theio rt r destructio realigne th y nb - ment of the landing strip of Strathallan Aircraft Museum was carried out by the Central Exca- vation Unit of SDD (Ancient Monuments) in three seasons totalling eleven months in 1978 and levea n o le site terracy 1979Th la s . f fluvio-glaciaeo l origin betwee Rivee nth e r th Ear d nan Machany Water at approximately 35m above sea level (NGR Henge NN 9280 1633; Barrow NN 9262 1622; Ring-ditche Grampiae Ochie th , 931Th S N . l1s N e Hill 1) th ng 1632 o fi foothillst ; s Earn-Allae th d an E nN watershed an N e dth provido t raiseea d horizon aroun sitee dth . reporte t Th separatelythree f eacou th s o t f eho se site e eacn sI ar . hdescriptioa e th f no evidence as excavated is followed by the specialist contributions and the excavator's discussion. Six specialist reports dealing with two or more of the sites were more conveniently presented separately toward ende sth . Wickham-Jone Cowid san e have also contributed papers comparing the artefact assemblages of the three sites and discussing broader comparanda. The report is concluded by a general discussion by the excavator. The site archive, including a full illustrated descriptio featuree th f t publisheno sno d below bees ha , n deposite Nationae th n di l Monuments Record of Scotland. An interim account was circulated (Barclay 1980); substantial changes in interpretation have since occurred. conventionf o t se e bees planOn e sha sectionth d n l san use al n do s wit exceptioe hth fif no g barroe th , w44 cross-sections whichsakn e ,i clarityth f eo r ,fo , conventione somth f eo s have been site eTh convention. changed49 d figd an 3 sillustratean e , . sar 2 g fi n do The henge INTRODUCTION The henge lay at the lip of a steep-sided gully in which flows the Machany Water. At its side E henge closestS ,th e th immediatelt e n banse ,o s kwa y besid esteea p dro fro ovef m p o m 0 1 r the plateau to the valley floor. The site was first recorded by RCAMS aerial survey in 1977 (pi 9). Although virtually obliterated by ploughing, the site was still visible on the ground as a slight circular bank between 60 and 65 m in diameter, surrounding a dish-shaped hollow. On the aerial photograph of the site a dark ring broken at E and W and a surrounding faint light ring were interprete ditca externad s da h an l bank respectively conclusioa , n supporte resistivita y db y survey carrieJohy b t n dPricou Bradforf eo d University subsequentld an , y prove excavationy db . Withi enclosure nth erina darf go k circular marks concentric wit ditce clearls hth hwa y visible. Blurred dark marks suggested the presence of other pits inside and outside the enclosed area. The positions of features outwith the bank and ditch were confirmed by the resistivity survey and the excavate dalloo t arelait s mans wa dou a wa possibls ya investigatede b o et e aeriad Th . an l resistivity surveys also detecte recenlina e f dth eo t field boundary ditch crossin site geth fromW enclosuree , passinE th n o i t gp throug.ga LocaE e hlth information suggested tha earlien a t r excavatio 'studentsy nb taked ha ' n plac t somea epaste tim th evidenc o ;n en i sucf eo h disturbance founds wa . site Woreth began ko Marcn i h firs e 1979th t , season endin Julyn gi seconA . d seasof no four week mountes autumswa e same th th n d i f eintende s n o year wa t I . d tha whole e tth th f eo 124 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1983 i?l|||Land over 244m|||| Airfield / ,j\ )N \I /'~-~-.,-'' ^'-" .,--~i^ \ /"& <*?''',.'"'~"•""•-••*»JStrathallan Castle \ y ,•''' --' ,.—-s*. '"'\ '•"-•' V /•'' 500m 92 FI G1 Locatio n maps: 1-Henge, 2-Barrow Ring-ditches- 3 , , Terrace-edg- 4-Sit6 d f cairno an e 5 , e enclosures Sit- peaf 7 , eo t core BARCLAY: SITES AT NORTH MAINS, STRATHALLAN | 125 LOAM GRAVEL CHARCOAL CHARCOAL SILT SANDY GRAVEL STAINING SLABS.BLOCKS SILT/LOAM SAND (als plansn oo ) CHARCOAL CREMATION GLAYED SOIL FLECKING (also on plans) May be combined conventiono t y Ke FI G2 sl plan useal sectiond n sdan o 9 s 4 excep d an t4 4 fig , 3 s enclosed area woul excavatee db d and, wit exceptioe hth smala f no moderle parth f to n boundary ditch and a possible pit in the W half, this was achieved. It was planned that the four terminals shoulS d sectiond excavatede an dditcb e an N th t hf a s o insufficient ,bu t timavailabls e wa th r efo investigatio terminalE sectioN S e e pard th th f n.f an t o no Area banf so k were investigatee th o dt S, W, N and NE of the ditched enclosure, and to the N and NE attempts were made to locate the external features aeriae noteth n ld o photograph resistivite th d san y survey. Additionallye th t a , W entrance areopenen s a , awa includo dt featurey ean s which migh outside li t e enclosureth e or be associated with the gap in the bank and ditch. ploughsoif o m c overburde e remove5 s 3 Th lwa o t p u d f nlargelo mechanicaa y yb l excavator under archaeological supervisio withio nt subsoie th n f 5-1o l m surface0c remaindee th , r being removed by hand. All areas were carefully trowel-cleaned repeatedly during the excavation. The subsoil revealed by these processes consisted of fluvio-glacially deposited material ranging in size from very fine silt to coarse gravels. This great variability across the site made the location and excavation of features very difficult. One hundred and twenty-eight of the soil anomalies tested were probably of non-natural origin. Of these, 57 could more or less certainly be assigned to five recognizable periods of activity and their description has been arranged, as far as possible, in chronological order, from Period I to Period V. The remainder, including three burials, probably prehistoric, which coul t wit certainty dno h an assignee yb foune b perioda o o t dt e ar , Miscellaneouse inth section. Minor features which assigne e coulb t perioda dno o dt , provideo dn evidenc r theiefo r function produced an , artefactso t dn illustrate no e ar , r describeddo .