Muirtown, Inverness: Preliminary Investigation of a Shell Midden 25
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Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1991)1 12 , 17-25 Muirtown, Inverness: preliminary investigatiof no a shell midden MyersGourlayB M R A *& t ABSTRACT The discovery, excavation analysisand ofshella midden presentedare discussed.and The site provides evidence for exploitation of the sheltered coastal environment in the Inverness area fourthduringmid the millennium suggestsbeand similarities with Later Mesolithicand Neolithic shell middens elsewhere Scotland.in INTRODUCTION The site (NGR NH 652 457) is located approximately 1 km south of the present shoreline of the Beauly Firth (illus 1). It was first identified by District Council Staff in May 1977 through test bores and service trenches dug in connection with a building development adjacent to the Caledonian Canal in Muirtown. The trenches exposed a deposit of marine shells between 9 and llm OD which, upon examination by one of the authors (RG), appeared to consist of a variety of species intermixed with flecks of charcoal and small fragments of poorly preserved e lattebone th e majorit f th r O . y wer fragmenteo s e d that specie s determinede coulb t dno . However, the base of a red deer (Cervus elaphus) antler was identified. No worked lithic artefacts were recovered. Buried beneath some 1-1.5 f overburdenmo , mos f whico t h appear o havt s e been derived from upslope deposie th , t rested upo surfaca n f unconsolidateo e d rounded pebbles and gravels which have their origin in the extensive deltaic deposits laid down in the area by a sub-glacial river (Syng ee tim1977)th et A whe. e shels depositednth wa l e gravelth , t a s Muirtown may have formed part of an east-facing early post-glacial shoreline. Nowhere in the exposed sectionshele th ld deposidi s thicknestn i excee presencs m it 6 t d0. srecorde s ye ewa d from sections and bore holes over a distance of at least 100 m north/south. On the information availabl t i seemee d thae deposith ts intermittent wa t , possibly consistin a serie f go f o s semi-discrete deposits. Immediately overlying the shell was a dense black (7.5YR-2/O) sediment formin glayea r varying betwee thickm 3 n0. 0.0Thid 9an s laye presens l rwa al n i t sections and immediately overlay the unconsolidated pebbles and gravels in those areas where shello n ther s . blacs ewa Botit n ki h slightls colouit d yan r sticky texture this laye quits wa r e distinct fro overlyine mth g brown loam. * Dept of Archaeology & Prehistory, University of Sheffield t Highland Regional Council, Inverness 18 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1991 ILLU 1 SLocatio p showinma n e positio e Muirtowth g th f o n n midde relation i ) (1 no Castl t n e Street (2)o tw , previously discovered shell midden centre th Invernes n f si north-wese o th o t e s Muirtowf on (3,4o t d )an n (5)Invernesd an , s fire station (6). EXCAVATION developede b o t s site th ewa smala s , A l areselectes awa excavatior dfo orden ni o t r obtain more detailed informatio contente th shele n no th f l, o depositstructur e ag e d Th .e an overburde removes nwa d usin gmachinea , the surface shele nth th f l eo deposi exposes twa y db hand and cleaned over a total of 7 m2 (illus 2). The brown loam contained a large proportion of well-rounded quartzite cobbles but very little sandstone. In contrast, the black sediment and e surface shelth th f l o edeposi t contained numerous rotted sandstone block t verw bu s yfe quartzite cobbles interface th t A . e betwee browe nth blace n th loa kd msedimenan t thers ewa a narro 0.0wc ( ban) 4m d wher formee eth r appeare stainee b o dt ddara k grey-brown. There were some localized instances where shelmixes wa l d wit blace hth k sediment. In certain areas the surface of the shell deposit appeared to be pitted with depressions 10-20 cm deep. These features were concentrated in squares 1, 2 and 3 (illus 2A), and varied in size and shape, some being small (c 0.1 m diameter) and circular while others were larger (c 0.4 m MYER GOURLAYS& : MUIRTOWN, INVERNESS: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIO SHELA F NO L MIDDE9 1 | N (A) (B) 0 m 1 Midden ^» Depressions :";-r¥i Hearth Gravels ILLUS 2 Plan of the excavated area: (A) square numbers and section letters referred to in the text; (B) sketch plan of the midden, hearth and depression features found in the midden surface. across) and more irregular. The features were filled with black sediment which, in some cases, contained shelllargeo Tw . , irregular depression squarn si were1 e founpointe e b th o dt n si midden where the unconsolidated pebbles of the beach directly underlay the black sediment fill. shel e Iedgn nth a squaref l7 e o deposi d founan s s4 wa t d and, once again blace th , k sediment immediately overla unconsolidatee yth d pebble gravelsd san . Her eevidenco thern s er wa efo mixine th f beacgo h material wit blace hth k sediment. Whateve depressioorigie e th rth f no n features it seems unlikely that they were formed after the black sediment had been deposited. In squares 5 and 6 the shell deposit followed the contours of a depression in the underlying beach whilst in square 2 the shell deposit was seen to contain an area of grey, highly comminuted shel smald an l l fleck f charcoalo s wer3 . d Squaree an selecte2 , 1 s r carefudfo l excavatio e shelth f l no deposit l excavateAl . d material from these square bagges wa s r dfo storag Invernesn i e s Museu t GallerAr m& y apart from small samples take r detailenfo d 20 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1991 examinatio t Sheffielna d University. Onc squaree eth beed sha n bottomed m5 a ,sectio s nwa opened up through the deposit (illus 3 a-b). However, owing to the instability of the section in squar sectiom thie6 5 se t recorden par th no (a-e f mucs s o ta )wa n d i h reste detaith .s a l It soon became apparent that squar containee2 d heartpara f o t h which extended into norte th squar d h sectioan e 5 comprise d an n ) (illu3 & t leas dsa 2 t four dark, compact lensef so burnt shell surrounde loosy db e deposit f greyso , comminuted materia smald an l l piecef so charcoal. Some sandstone blocks withi shele nth l deposi beed ha tn expose heatingo dt e Th . sandstone blocks appeare mose b o dtt numerou around an hearthe n si dth numbea , e th f o r blocks lying withi dare nth k lenses. Whil sandstone eth availabls ei e locally (within square4 large slabs were found lying buried in the unconsolidated pebbles and gravels) it would seem that material had been deliberately brought to the hearth either in connection with activities undertaken structuretherpars a a f r o te o connectioe Th . n betwee sandstone nth e withie nth shell midden and that within the overlying black sediment remains unclear. In squar e middeth 1 e n appeared truncated while throughou hearte th t h depositn i s MUIRTOWN MIDDEN 1979 Unconsolidated gravels / BROWN LOAM [•-'••|.j GREY / BROWN LOAM J SANDSTONE [^Tfj BLACK SEDIMENT | CHARCOAL HI SHELL MIDDEN I BURNT SHELL ^3 DENSE BLACK LAYERS Unconsolidated gravels ILLUS 3 Muirtown midden: sections a-b and c-d. MYER GOURLAYS& : MUIRTOWN, INVERNESS: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIO SHELA F NO L MIDDE1 2 N square 2 the depression features observed in the midden surface appeared to cut through the lenses. Whether these feature truncationd an s s were formed during occupational activities connected wit middene hth represenr ,o t modification naturay sb anthropogenir lo c agenciet sa some time followin midden'e gth s formatio unclears ni e suc sectiom On h . 5 featur e nth n i e (illus 3) is deep and narrow and may be a stake hole. However, the four main lenses of burnt shell withi hearte nth h appeared substantially undisturbe situ,n i lensee d th dan s being sharp and well defined. Both the lenses and those sandstone blocks lying on or within them followed the slope of the underlying beach into the hollow in square 6. Lumps of charcoal were recovered from withi e shelth n l material beneat e lowermosth h e maith nf o tlense d an s submitted for radiocarbon determination; they were identified as oak (Quercus), possibly from mature timbers provided an , datda f 5635±6eo (GU-1473)p 5b , which calibrated (Stuive& r Reimer 1986) gives a range of 4675-4350 BC at 2a with a mean of 4469 BC. MIDDEN CONTENTS During the excavation several poorly preserved fragments of what appeared to be bird bone were identifie fiso base hN . th squaref bone 2 et o da d otolithr an so s1 s were recognized in spite of careful examination of the excavated material. Small pieces of crab shell, mainly claws, were recognize t thedbu y wer t numerouseno f thosO . e shellfish species represented (table 1) oyster (Ostrea edulis) was dominant. However, other species, such as mussel (Mytilus edulis) and cockle (Cardium edule), occurred in small localized concentrations; one such concentratio f musseo n l shells removed fro e lowesmth t leve n squari l 3 consistee f o d approximatel valves0 y13 e majoritth , f whico y h were virtually intact.