EXCAVATIO F BOWNO L BARRO PITYOULISHT WA 3 15 .

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EXCAVATIO BOWA F NO L BARRO T PITYOULISHWA , STRATHSPEY 1953N I , . . RAEV S B,YMR F.S.A.ScoT. ALAD AN N, RAE, M.A., F.S.A.ScoT. Summary.—Four bowl barrows were found in a group, each having a ditch without bank (two share para ditch) f o t diametea . ,fro ft m4 2 f o r the bottom of the ditch, a height of 1 ft. 3 ins. to 1 ft. 6 ins. above surrounding turf flattenea , witp dto h dimple rectangulaa d an , r stone projecting from e topth . Total excavatio s mad wa e barronf one eo Th . w coveren a d inhumatio t fulna lt (robbedsmallengto pi a tw ln d hi empt )an y o pitsN . grave goods, pottery or domestic implements were found, but evidence showed t earlie thano e buria s th t r wa ltha n Iron barroe AgeTh d . wha not covered a hut or any representation of a hut. Five fires had purified the site. A large stone had been erected beside the burial and projected from the top of the barrow, with no carving or inscription. It was possible to trace the sequence of events in construction. Fig. 1 shows the ground pla t basicna , wit hlarge basth e chief ee o th ston fd chocean k stone pro- jected; fig. 2 shows cross-sections. Situation.—The Pityoulish estate lies alon e easgth te Rive sidth f ero Spe Inverness-shiren yi f Aviemor o milee sam2 . , th esNE d distancean e N. of Coylumbridge. Rev. William Forsyth, In the Shadow of the Cairngorms (1900), states that t circles"stonehu beed d an "sha n cleared fro mfiela d e road. fiel"te th side of th dTh e e o " th lie f so immediatel. SW e th o yt junctio e roath df no Coylumbridge—Neth y Bridge wit e roahth d ovee th r Slugan Pass to Loch Morlich (Nat. Grid ref. 28/931152). A few large stones lie by the road and in a gravel pit; one standing-stone 4 ft. 6 ins. high and 1 ft. 6 ins. square,at the base remains erect in the field. The cultivable land alluvian a , l gravel, here form wida s e terrace . abouft 0 3 t abov Rivee eth fielrw Speydlo a alon o ,banke t witg. th ft h.scar0 a 2 f po This scarp has a bluff curve, covered with silver birch and broom, just west of the field with the standing-stone, and on the bluff but hidden e wooth dy b stan e fouth d r bowl barrows described above soughe W . t the necessary permission and made a total excavation of the one nearest the road during the summer of 1953 (PI. XVII, 1). Construction.—Soil on the bluff consists of turf and dark loam to a dept ins8 f .h o restin harn go d brown gravel, whic turhn i n rest yellon so w sand; nea edge gravee th r e th slope thickonls o th i l incen n tw y a o r ;h o gravelthero n s ei , loaturd an mf restinsande th n .go 154 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , 1952-53. In making this barrow the builders scraped off most of the topsoil down gravelo t ; although fig. 2a (left) show t thoroughlno s thawa t ti y removed, a clear black line remaining on top of the gravel there, and being occasionally visible elsewhere. Eithe e centrth r theif eo naturaa r sitd eha l dip, with.

SCALE IN F£ET Fig. 1. Plan at basic, with three stones projected.

no gravel between topsoil and sand, or they scraped away the gravel in this doinn i part produced o gs an , dsaucer-lika e hollo sande l pitth Al swn .i were dug within this hollow. A ditch was dug in a rough circle, of which the diameter (from bottom of ditch) varied from 23 ft. to 24 ft. 4 ins.; the ditch bein insg9 . dee basin pi c gravel—deeper where gravel gave placo et sand (fig. 2b, right)—and of irregular width. Part of the gravel from the ditch was put along its inner lip, while the rest seems to have been used EXCAVATION OF BOWL BARROW AT PITYOULISH. 155

a 6 156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1952-53.

during the last stage of erection; possibly the ditch was deepened in the last stages to provide material for the top of the barrow. Five exposeth e n fireo dt sli basi werw ceno exactlsoile e on th : n yi centre, a second near the place where the head of the burial pit was to be duge otherth , s markin n almosa g t equilateral triangle graveth n lo e e ditchgroune th Th f upcasinnee o .t eacth da p thesf n li rho o t e places was burnt a deep red, to a depth of 6 ins. under the heart of the fire and over an elliptical area with a greater diameter in each case of nearly a foot. The heat must have been intense rather than protracted. Charcoal was plentiful on and around the fireplaces, but no bones were found. Then two small oval pits seem to have been dug: one NE. of the central fire and cutting through its burnt earth, therefore dug after the fire was out othere W.e feex th th ;si , t o t ,awa y fro centree mformee th d Th .ha r ins.6 . diameter,ft ins.deptlatte4 e 1 . diameterd th d ;ft fthr1 1 ha an . f so s ins.9 . ,ft ins 6 dept 1 . . ft insd 3 h 1 Neithe. an . 2ft thesf o r e hely dan indicatio f theio n r purpose. Althoug e formeth h r had, scatteres it n i d filling, a good deal of burnt earth and charcoal, these could well have come fro fire mth e debris through whicbeed ha n t hi cut . The saucer-shaped hollow was next filled with a grey sandy soil, so as to level the area; a depth of just over one foot being needed in the middle. As part of this operation the small pits were filled, receiving basic sand -whic comd hha e from the e gresomd mth an yf eo soil . a ins.dept4 Ato ,ft. the hof 2 buria was insn6 by dug. ft. pit l 6 , ins.7 . ,2ft fro ° witangl n ms 50 a axih it f t trueo a s e N.: placee li o dt between the two fireplaces in the middle of the hollow. After the corpse had been installed, the pit was filled with a mixture of the sand which had been take gree nth youtd sandan , y soil. The order of most events up to this point is probably as stated: because the outer fires were on upcast from the ditch, one of the small pits cut through the debris of one of the fires, the small pits were dug when the exposed whesurfacg du basis nfooa s wa ee buriac twa th sandt d pi l an , of grey beesoid ha lbasice n th lai n d.o A bloc f erratiko e grave c. sidth e gneisf W eo th erecte,s e th swa n do nearest s basedgit f e eo ins 6 bein . foo.e ft gon 2 t awayy b . s sizeit ft ; 2 , by 5 ft. 6 ins. Chock stones were wedged at each corner, the one nearest to the head of the grave being much larger than the others (fig. 2). These, and the base of the standing-stone, were sunk in the grey soil, but at no point came nearer than 2J ins. to basic sand. The stone was leaning away from the grave at an angle of 70° (PI. XVII, 2). It is likely that this was erected after the grave was dug—and perhaps filled in—rather than earlier, because the stone must have been insecure until the barrow had been raised further, would an t havdno e been left standin r longfo g with inadequate support. We looked for indications that the stone had been originally vertical; but EXCAVATIO F BOWNO L BARRO T PITYOULISHWA 7 15 . sigo n ther ns tha e baswa thrusd th t eha e choc th t k stones forwarn o d the side towards the grave and moved away from the others, or that the uppe e rston th parshifted f eha o e uppet th d r level f constructiono s t I . resemble standing-stone sth e which remain adjacenn a n si t field. More of the grey sandy soil was added all over the barrow, producing flaa t surfac buriae th f ins6 eo l .pitp abovto . e Thieth s homos soiwa l - geneous throughout t doeI t occu. sno r naturall blufe pare th f th o tn yo investigated river-depositea s i t bu , d typ probablo es foune b o ydt nearby. It was impregnated throughout with specks of charcoal, so thoroughly that the fillings of the pits—which were mainly of replaced basic sand, with only a little of the grey soil—also contained plentiful specks. Most of the flat surface was then covered with a layer of small boulders, trodden int e greoth y soil (fig. 26), wit hdozea n larger flat stones lyinn go top of them in no particular arrangement. This layer, which was over the burial part of the barrow, was in plan a closed U: the closing side, 16 ft. long, lay along a line which, if inserted on fig. 1, would be parallel to the e drawingbasth f eo s centrit , e just belo e uppewth r small pite curvth , e lying over the lower part of the drawing, its farthest point being 12 ft. 6 ins. from the centre of the closing line. Mg. 26 shows it clearly; fig. 2a shows it broken by the robbing of the barrow. The layer contained a number of patches of black soil, which suggests that turves were mingled with the stones: fig. 2a (left) shows a place where this proved a continuous strip. The turf could have come fro e originamth l deturfine e th are th f ao f o g barrow. The top of the barrow is 2 ft. 9 ins. above the original bottom of the probabls ditchwa d an y,flaa t oval ft.5 (diameter ) d abovan . ft e s7 whic h the standing-stone-projected 2 ft., until robbery of the grave produced the dimple which appears on fig. 3. The upper part, 1 ft. 6 ins. in depth from the remains of the flat top, was made of brown soil interspersed with small tips of gravel, sand and decayed vegetation. The heterogeneity of the soil at this level was in marked contrast with the homogeneity of the soil belo layee wth f stoneso r formee th , r suggesting basket topsoif so l brought from different places uppee Th .r hal f thio f s leves morwa l e stony than the lower half, as though mixed with gravel; and we suspect that most of the soil excavated from the ditch was used to cover the top of the barrow as a hard coating. Fig. 2 shows four examples of this heterogeneity—the other tips wer smalo eto reproduco t l diagram—ana n eo sane dth d shown havy onma e fig 6 com2 . e fro e nearesmth te ditch parth f o t, which goes into sand. Earlier Excavation.—Reference has already been made to the fact that grave beeth d eha n robbed. Excavator sund s ha kvertica a l shaft, guided by the projecting stone, and had removed whatever was in the middle of the burial pit, including the central part of the skeleton. They were not 8 15 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , 1952-53.

curiou examino st theie pitd ende th an ,eth f r o sactio n doe t seesno m o t have maske y feature e structuredan th f o s . Efforts have been mado et trace this excavation in estate papers of the last two centuries—family tradition of previous owners, and local tradition—but without success. Finds.—Five fragment f heavilo s y vitrified sandstone were founde on , in primary silt of the ditch, the others widely scattered in the grey sandy lowee soith f indebte e . Wrbarrowlo e F ar par .th r e Andersof D to W o dt . n e suggestiofoth r n that these came fro ovenn ma somethinr o , g resembling it, which had been subjected to fierce heat over a long period of years. Two small lumps of fused iron were found, widely separated, in the same soil. The same authority is of the opinion that these could not have been produce sucy db h agenc accidentas ya l heath fires. A kno f irobo n resemblin e heaa larg gth f do e e s founnaith wa ln i d upper part of the filling of the burial pit, and is certainly an artifact. On the floor of the burial pit was an outline in rust on the basic sand' which looked very liksurvivine eth g trace knifea f handle so th , whicf eo h disappearedd ha t althougbu ; e onlhth ys thi e pitsig swa th f iro no , n ni ther s mucei h natura cannoe on e e gravele sited b tth iroth an ,f n ni o l certain that this outline represente remaine d th artifact n a f so . e buriath t wern I pi l e remains vera n i y, fragile condition f parto , f so a skeleton (PI. XVII, 3). The middle had been removed when the grave was robbed, but the extremities had not been disturbed and their position showed that the height had been about 5 ft. 6 ins. Dr L. H. Wells, of the Edinburgh University Department of Anatomy, has been so good as to make the following report:— " These remains compris portion) e(1 skulle th f s,o mandibl uppermosd ean t three cervical vertebrae; and (2) the lower ends of both femora, remains of both tibiae and fibulae, and some of the bones of both feet. The ossification of the limb bones and of the base of the skull shows this individual to have been fully adult. At the same time the short length of e lambdoidath l suture whic s preservehi d shows little evidenc f closuro e e indicated probablan e ag n sa y less tha years5 n3 . Althoug skule hth l bones are thin the muscle markings are strongly developed and the mastoid processes large, suggesting that the skeleton is most probably male. The fragments of the lower extremities are very much decayed. From having been completely waterlogged, some portions have more or less disintegrated while others have been crushed and deformed by the pressure of the overlying earth. It is therefore most fortunate that a fragment comprisin whole gth e lengtposterioe th f ho r aspecrighe th f t o ttibi a with portion botf so h articular surface survives ha s d undistorted. This fragment lengthn i . measure.mm ; 8 compariso35 s n with intact bones indicates that e correspondinth g condylomalleolar length would have been approximately 365 mm. Estimation from this measurement by various formulae gives a statur ins. 8 e mos . th ,ft e t5 betwee probabl insd 5 . an . ft n5 e values being ins.,7 . . 6-5ft ft 5 whic 5 ins o t .h agrees most reasonably wit r Rae'hM s estimate of the length of the skeleton as it lay on the ground. This is note-

EXCAVATIO F BOWNO L BARRO PITYOULISHT WA 9 15 . worth followine vien yth i f wo g remarks mad Trottey eb Glesed a an r n i r recent study on the estimation of stature from limb bone lengths: 'It is perhaps impossible to determine which equations are best for application to skeletal remain f oldeo s r race r whicfo s ho record n ther e f actuaar eo s l stature. In fact, Kurth has suggested on the basis of his recent experience in estimating stature of middle Europeans of the 8th to 10th century that measurement, when possible e overalth f o , l lengte skeletath f ho l remains situn i s preferabli staturo t e e estimated fro lone mth g bones accordino gt equations base morn do e recent populations.' This approach, unfortunately, is only possible where burial has been made in the extended position. The skul representes li greatee th y d b roccipital e partth f o , right parietal and right temporal bones, portion sphenoie th f so lefd dtan temporala d an , fragment righe ofth t maxilla wit firssecone d hth an t d molar teeth. Although individuae th fullys wa l adult uppee th , r wisdom toot thin ho s side doet sno appear eve havo t r e been eruptede mandibleth f O e righ. th , t ascending ramu hinded san rbode parth yf o twit three hth e molar teet preservede har . A true estimat braincase fore th th f m f o e o e canno obtainee b t d froe mth imperfec d somewhaan t t warped fragments e impressioTh . n createf o s di relativela y t particularl broa no hig d t dan hbu y long skull. Skull f thiso s type are not characteristic of any single period; they occur in both Bronze AgIrocontextd e ean n Ag Scotland.n si " Final Comments. find w —Frome concludfe w s e th e thae buriath t l cannot be earlier than the Iron Age. The lumps of fused iron, the plentiful charcoa vitrifiee th d lan d sandstone—al lleve e foun soil—suggesf on o l n di t that this soil came from a nearby habitation site, where the occupants did theiiron-workingn row passage Th . e referre froo dt m Rev . ForsytW . h invite searcsa neighbourhooe th f ho thir dfo s habitation field e siteTh ,. however afforestes t availablwa , no s i 195 n i dinvestigationsr d efo 2an . The most striking e featureinhumatioe buriath th e f ar o ls t fulna l length and the gravestone. Pityoulish is not too far up river from the Moray Firth for these features to have been derived from Scandinavian influenc e Migratioth f o e n period. With, thi mindn i s d untian , l further evidenc s availabli e e fro e othemth r barrows surmise w , e tha a smalt l community lived and buried their chiefs here by the river only a short while before Christianity became accepte districte th n di . Professor Piggott has kindly suggested to us that the "barrow" is in reality two latea ,beine on r g imposed directly upo earliere nth , wite hth secondary burial above the first. All traces of the secondary burial could have been destroyed whe e mounth ns robbedwa d . This suggestion explains the difference in character between the two levels of soil, and the black streak f decayeo s d vegetation amon e stonegth s which roofee th d lower structure Acknowledgments.—Thanks are due in particular to Colonel W. J. Scott, factor of the Pityoulish estate, who on behalf of the owner, Sir Herbert Ogilvie, Bart., gave permission for the excavation and for us to . AndersoW . F f H.Mr no D e site camth o . t ;Geologican po l Survef yo 160 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1952-53. Great Britain for his advice on soils, stones and metals; to Dr L. H. Wells for his report on the skeleton; to Mr R. B. K. Stevenson, Keeper of the National Museum of Antiquities; to the Inspectorate of the Ministry of e Principath o Workst d l an Investigato; e Royath f o lr Commission o n Ancient Monument Scotlandf so .