I.

THREE BRONZ CISE TAG E BURIAL . SCOTLANDNE N I S .

BY WILLIAM KIRK, B.A., AND JOHN McKENZIB, M.B., Cn.B.

During the late summer and autumn of 1954 farming operations in NE. produced their customary crop of Bronze Age cists. On 30th August farm workers removing gravel with a mechanical excavator from a rounded hilloce far th f Nethe mo n ko r Criggie, paris f Dunnottarho , Kin- cardineshire, 3 miles SW. of , unsettled the side stone of a short cist containing skeletal remain thred san e beakers (Nat. Grid ref. 37/838823). Ten days later workmen bulldozing trees from Bught Park on the outskirts of Inverness were responsible for raising the capstone of a cist which had become entwined in the roots of an ancient beech, and revealed a grave containing a skeleton and a bronze dagger (Nat. Grid ref. 28/656437). 'Then on 1st Novembe thirra d expose s cis wa tfir a agriculturaf my do b l drainage contractors while cutting a trench to the smallholding of Upper Cairn, , in the parish of Rathen, 3 miles SSW. from (Nat. Grid ref. 38/973622). This containe e sherd a th broked f o s n o beaken t bu r skeletal remains. Each of the sites was examined shortly after their dis- covery by members of the Geography and Anatomy Departments of University, and by kind permission of the landowners concerned the Criggie and Memsie finds are to be housed with the related collection in the Anthropological Museum of Marischal College, and the Bught Park Invernese findth n si s Museum.1

DESCRIPTION OF GRAVES AND CONTENTS. 1. Nether Criggie, Dunnottar. mechanicaAe sth l excavato onld rha y unseate side deon stone shore ,th t stone cist and its contents were found in a remarkably fine state of preserva- tion, and it was possible to obtain a good stratigraphical section of its position in the working face of the gravel quarry (fig. 1). The cist had been built of local sandstone slabs in the floor of a steep-sided pit sunk some 6 ft. below the upper surface of a natural mound of fluvio-glacial gravels. Such mound commoe sar n feature north-ease th f so t zon Strathmorf eo oftend ean , thin i s a case, consis skia f pebblf nto o y drift mantlin gcora consolidatef eo d sand and fine gravel. Under the outer skin freely-drained conditions obtain, 1 We are indebted to Professor R. D. Lockhart for his help during these investigations and for the photograph of the Bught Park cist. VOL. LXXXVIII. 1 2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56. and it is significant that at the time of inspection, following a very wet summer, the cist was found to be bone-dry. Further protection was afforded by the use of a single capstone seated firmly upon and overlapping the squared uppe stoned e cistth en r f .e sid d o sfaceth Thes ean f o s e were firmly bedded in the gravel, with side stones overlapping end stones and the

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FEET

I, Gravel Pebbly Drift Disturbed Ground ||||i| Black Soil

. Nethe1 Fig. r Criggie, Dunnottar: Section. entire structure packed around with rubble innee Th r. spac containeo es d measured 3 ft. by 1 ft. 6 ins. by 1 ft. 6 ins., was paved with small thin slabs of stone and its long axis orientated NE.—SW. Within lay an adult skeleton with its head towards the west, and the relative positions of the bones indicated that the body had been placed on its back with knees drawn up ove trune rrestinth d kan g agains southere tth s it n nO sid . e 1) wal , I lL (seP e left, two beakers stood close together against the northern wall, and a few inche ease th smalle ta o st r beake places rwa d betwee adule nth t skeletod nan THREE BRONZ CISE TAG E BURIAL . SCOTLANDNE N I S 3 . fragmente th child'a f o s s skeleton north-ease lyinth n gi t corneciste th .f ro Two worked flint flakes (fig. 2) were found on the surface of the gravel scree immediately outsid e south-weseth t cornee cisth t f whero r e flood eth ha r been disturbed during the unseating of the southern side stone and can almost certainl ascribee y b buria e th o dt l also. The adult remains recovered are indicated in fig. 3 (A), as the black area d hav e followinan s th e g characteristics e surface skulth Th .f l o e (PL I, 2) is rough and pitted, but the muscular attachments are poorly defined. The supraorbital ridges, mastoid processes, superior nuchal (occipital) crests and more general features are typically feminine. The basilar suture is still distinctsuturee vaulte th th f thersigd o o f sn closuro f ,an ,y no s e i an n ei either insid r outsideo e metopiA . c suture runs fro e nasioe mth th o nt

Fig. 2. Nether Criggie, Dunnottar: Flints.

corona l halveo suturetw f whice o s th , h angln meea f t 160°eo a t . Con- siderable erosion of the facial bones has occurred around the nasal aperture, lower orbital margins and maxillse, but there is no evidence in the upper denta teety l arcan hf h o havin g been lost during lifeocclusae th ; l surface of the third molar projects backwards as well as downwards. Similarly in the mandible all teeth were present at death, and the vertical axis of the last mola tiltes ri d forwards. There are, e indeedth f o sign o y n , weaf san o n ri teeth. The remaining bones of the skeleton are slender and finely marked. Epiphyse lone th gl firmln sbono al e year united, although some epiphyseal line stile sar l recognisable vertebraw fe e Th 3 .als o show distinct epiphyseal rings, although som incompletee ear onle th yd regioan , n wher epiphysin ea s shows evidence of detachment is the iliac crest, much of which, however, has crumbled away. In the small part of the hip bone the greater sciatic notch does not show definite sex characters, but the gentle sweep of the pelvic bri s mcertainli y female e nitrogeTh . n contene boneth f s i o st assesse t 1-3d a cenr 8pe t (Weile Straussd ran , Oxford) comparison i , thao nt t of 4-1 r cen fresr 5pe fo t h bone. Measurement e skul lond th f an lgso bones

are give Tabln ni . eI 1 1 " . . .in bones preserved under broadly the same conditions the nitrogen content of their protein (ossein) is lost at a relatively slow, and on an average uniformly declining rate." See Weiuer, J. S., Oakley, K. P., and Le Gros Clark, W. E., "The Solution of the Piltdown Problem", Bull. Brit. Mw. (Nat. Hist.), Geology , 1412 , 1953. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56.

(A) (B) Pig . Skeleta3 . l remains Nethe) (A : r Criggie, Dunnottar Bugh) (B ; t Park, Inverness. Bones recovered shown in black. THREE BRONZ CISE EAG T BURIAL . SCOTLANDNE N I S .

TABLE I (measurements in mm.). Skull: Maximum head length. 163 Endobasion-bregmatic height . 123 Maximum head breadth 122 Auricula . .9r . heigh8 . t Breadth-length inde. x 74-8 Bigonial breadth .... 100 Minimum frontal diameter . .102 Long bones: Right femur, length 435 approx. Bight tibia, middle of shaft: Angle of neck 126° transverse diameter 23 Angl torsiof eo . n 30° ant.-post. diameter 29 Upper shaft: Platycnemic index 79-3 transverse diameter 29 Bight fibula, length 357 ant.-post. diameter 22 Left ulna, lengt h. 271 Platymeric index . 75-8 Stature as calculated from lengt femu. f ho r159 5 approx.

The infanbonee th show e f sar o t PIn . ni II .The y includ bode eth f yo the mandible, part of the left temporal bone, the left ilium, the shaft of both femora, and fragments of the humeri, ribs and vertebrae. Comparison -with modern full-time foetal bones suggests that the child died about the time of birth—indee s birtweldy it hma l haveo t bee- cause 20 nth deate f eo th f ho 25-year-old female with buriedwhos wa mt i . The pottery recovered from the cist was completely intact and is shown

in fig. 4. . Beaker No. 1 is a well-constructed vessel of CA form with a smooth russet surface and coarse, grey-black core. It is 5-3 ins. high, with a rim diameter of 4-7 ins., base of the neck diameter of 4-0 ins., maximum body diamete 4-f o r5 insbasd an . e diamete f 3-r o 0 ratie ins necf Th oo . k height bodo t ornamentatios yIt heigh . :3 2 s i t precisels ni deepld yan y inscribed, giving the vessel a sharp, finished appearance. The entire surface of the neck from constriction to lip is decorated by narrow bands of alternately oblique impressions bounde y horizontab d l grooves which accentuate interposed plain ridges. An additional lower ridge and groove emphasise e constrictioth e junctioth t na f bod no neckd yan , whil e interioeth m ri r bevel is ornamented with cross-hatching. Immediately below the con- striction there occurs a broad plain band in a manner characteristic of numerous northern beakers of this type, while the globular body has two zones of decoration, namely, an upper narrow zone comprising a band of crosses contained within horizonta l a lowerlines d an , broader zone con- sistin f horizontao g l lined alternatinan s g band f verticao s l impressions, crosses and oblique impressions. The basal zone is left undecorated. In comparison, Beaker No. 2 has rather a squat profile, being 4-8 ins. high, with a rim diameter of 4-6 ins., maximum body diameter of 4-8 ins. and base diameter of 3-6 ins. The neck is set at an angle closer to the vertical, is less funnel-like, and has flat rims, but maintains the approximate ratio of 2 : 3 with the height of the body. The latter is less globular., with a tendency for the curve between the base and greatest diameter to flatten, while the 6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56.

foot recurves,.but in spite of these modifications the discrimination between neck and body by a slight constriction and by the mode of ornamentation suggests tha t belongi t same th eo st derivative clasA f so Beakes sa . 1. No r The decoration of the neck consists of a row of chevrons at the lip with thirteen horizontal lines 'below ;e bod thath thref f yo o t e group triplf o s e horizontal lines bordered by either vertical or oblique impressions. In both case Beakef th eo Beaked additioan n i 1 r, 2 rsharp-edge a o nt d implement

m\\\\\\\v illlilllllli A\\\\\\\\\\

BEAKERS FROM SHORT STONE CIST NETHER CRIGGIE, DUNNOTTAR Inches -Cms. Fig. 4.

being used for the detailed work, a serrated edge was employed to produce horizontae th l grooves, leaving small, rectangular impression base th e t a s of each groove. As the pitch of the impressions show, the decorating of these pots involved the use of both right arid left hands. Beaker No. 3, however, is not only smaller but more crudely decorated than the other two. It is 4-2 ins. high, with a rim diameter of 3-8 ins., maximum body diameter of 3-6 ins. and base diameter of 2-2 ins., being light buff in colour, and decorated by a series of broad, shallow, and poorly executed horizontal grooves with two bands of hanging triangles. Its profile shows the character- istic S-shap a C-typ f eo e beaker modifie a carinatio y b de centre th n ni ,

flattened bodB y lines and everted rim and base. It is probably to be associated wit buriae childe hth th f lo . THREE BRONZ CISE TAG E BURIAL . SCOTLANDNE N I S 7 .

2. Bugfit Park, Inverness. Bught Par situates k i southere th n do n outskirt Invernessf so , where eth Caledonian Canal forks westward away from the course of the River Ness, som malee2 s from Morae th ,bridge th y f Firthpoino a e yds. 0 t A 15 tSB .. whereby the A 82 road crosses the canal, workmen engaged in levelling the constructioe surfac pare th r th kf fo eo playinf no g fields uproote dtrea d ean revealed a stone cist containing skeletal remains and a bronze dagger. Unfortunately, both skeleto dagged nan beed ha rn removed fro e cismth t prior to our examination, as had the coverstones, with the result that much surface material had found its way into the cist cavity. At this locality the River Ness makes a broad sweep eastwards, leaving behin dbroaa d gravel terrac elevation . abova ft t ea 0 3 e f nsea-levelo , which ma relate e Littorinye b th o dt a depositional phaze. During this perioe dth lower valleNese th f sy o appear havo st e forme broada d estuary wite hth heights of Tomnahurich, Torvaine, and Craig Phadrig rising abruptly from e Bronzth y B e Age . it withdrawd , ha e Rivehowever a th se d r e nan th , Ness, working to a lower base level, had already entrenched itself into its earlier deposits—an sucn i s h terracwa t di e deposit gravef so waterd an l - worn pebbles tha cise th tt under examinatio constructeds s nwa wa t pi A . sunk to 'a depth of some 6 ft. below the terrace surface and then built up with massive slabs of local stone set on edge or arranged in courses to within 2 ft. 6 ins. of the surface, giving internal dimensions of 4 ft. 4 ins. by 2 ft. ins4 . . ft (deep) 3 loninse 3 y gb .Th axi.orientates swa d BNE.-WSW.d an , the surroundings packed firm with rubble (see PL II, 2). It then appears that the entire inner surface of the cist cavity, including the floor, was sealed by clay obtainable in the immediate vicinity and, as far as could be ascertained by questioning the local sexton who had exhumed the skeletal remains, the body placesittina cise n th i t n dgi positio bronze nTh facin e. daggegSW r wa s skeletoe righ e founth th f n o t do n nea north-wese rth t corneciste th .f ro Two large, overlapping coverstones close initiae grave th dth d l ean surfac e restored by compacted gravel. During the period which had elapsed since e buriath a thil n e tre e rootformedd soith e th f ha lo whic sd an , h grew immediately abov grave eth enveloped eha ciste dth , sending fine hair-like rootlets into the grave wherever openings allowed. spitn I f carefueo l examinatio e cis rubble o flooe th n th t th f f o nro n ei potsherds were recovered, but the other relics are of considerable interest. The skeletal remains are shown in black in fig. 3 (B) and their measurements given in Table II. The skull (PI. heav s Illi ) ,1 y wit musculas hit r attachments well marked, e supraorbitath d an l ridges, mastoid processes e superioth d an r, nuchal (occipital) crests well developed. Insid e skuleth l therevidenco n s ei f eo the coronal, sagittal or lambdoid sutures, but externally, apart from the PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56.

TABL I EI (measurement mm.)n si . Skull: Maximum . hea185d • . lengt h. Nasal height . . 56 Maximu8 m 14 hea . d breadt . h Nasal breadth . .25 Minimum fronta5 10 l. breadt . h Interorbital breadth . 27 Maximum bizygomatic breadth . 150 Orbital . breadt43-5 h (left) Basibregmatic height . . .136 5 Orbita3 . l height (left) Auricula . .11 r. heigh4 . t Endobasion-nasio4 n 11 diamete . r Nasialveola . r heigh.7 . 9t Endobasion-prealveolar diamete6 9 . r Menton-nasion height . . . 123 Endobasion-subnasion diameter . 89 Indices: Breadth-length .... 80-0 Orbital (left) .... 80-4 Tipper facial .... 52-6 Nasal ..... 44-6 Total facial .... 82-0 Gnathic ..... 84-2 Long ~bones: Et. Lt. Length of right humerus . . 354 Femur, upper shaft: Lengt6 29 h. of righ . t uln . a transvers8 3 e8 3 diameter Corresponding length of radius ant.-post, diameter 27 26-5 (Manouvrier) ...3 27 . platymeric index . 71-5 69-7 Humerus, angle of torsion . . 33° angle of neck . 122° 123° Humero-radial index . . 79-9 Tibia, middle of shaft: Carrying angle . 14° transverse diameter 23-5 Sacrum, length . . . 137 ant.-post3 ,3 diameter 9 12 . . breadt h. platycnemic index 71-2 index . . . 94-1 Statur calculates ea d from Angle of union of thyroid cartilages 70° length of humerus (Manouvrier . 1754 . )

basilar suture whic completels hi y fused onle th , y signe th closurf so n i e ear coronal suture below the temporal lines where even the pterion cannot be identified e hypophyseaTh . l foss s normali a . Those teeth whice ar h present show no caries but are markedly worn, revealing large areas of dentin l excepal thire n ei th t d left lower molar. Those missin secone gar d third an d upper molarrighe th n t so sid e (post-morte ml thre al loss) d e an , upper molars on the left side where the alveolar margin is completely absorbed. The palate is rough and pitted, with deep grooves for the vessels nervesd h'nguae an Th . l surfac mandible th f eo lines ei d with many irregular exostoses just belo e alveolawth r margin e malleu Th d incu. an s s were recovered fro e righmth t middle ear. Als e twoth o thyroid cartilagee ar s present, completely fusee posterioossifiedd th an d t bu , r e borderth d an s area corresponding to the attachment of the vocalis and thyro-arytenoid muscle eacn so h sid missinge ear . lone Th g bone eved fragmente san nth thef o s m sugges mala t conf eo - siderable statur strengthd e an vertebra e Th . l colum completes ni , although e vertebrath l al e intact t ar e no ; osteoarthritic change e pronouncedar s , •with much "lipping," especially in the lumbar region where the column must have been practically rigid during life. There is a slight collapse of sixte th h cervical vertebra with fusios bod seventhit e f thath o yt o n f o t , while the projecting upper and lower lips of the fourth, fifth and sixth THREE BRONZE AGE CIST BURIALS IN NE. SCOTLAND. 9

thoracic vertebrae show aortic impressions bonep hi heave e sar d Th yan . strong with obvious male characteristics, and it will be noted that the sacral index is less than 100—a primitive feature accentuated by the shallow curvatur e boneth f e.o Other features distinguishin e individuagth l from e moderth n Europea e simian-likth e ar n e humero-radiae l th inde d an x large angle of torsion of the humerus. The nitrogen content of the bone is estimated at 1-6 per cent (Weiler and Strauss, Oxford), i.e. 0-22 per cent greater than that of the skeleton from Criggie Croft. It thus appears that we are dealing with the burial of a man aged about 50 years, rather taller (5 ft. 9 ins., as calculated from the length of the humerus) than the average found in such graves, powerfully built, with skull indices indicating the characteristic feature brachycephalyf o s , orthognathism fairla d yan , broad face. The bronze dagger (PI. II, 2) was submitted for examination to Mr R. J. C. Atkinson of the Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Edinburgh kindls ha o y providewh , followine dth g report: "The dagge f bronzeo s i r , wit ha maximu ma lengtd an f 4-1 ho . in 5 maximum outlinwidtn I subtriangular s 1-f i . h o 7t e in i kite-shapedr o , , with a rounded heel. In section the blade is flat, with a uniform thickness of 0-06 in., bevelled only at the extreme edges. The hilt was attached by three bronze rivets, diameter n 0-. i lon 30-d . in 2gin an f whico , h onl laterae yon l example survives. The central rivet, unlike the lateral ones, did not pass throug locates bladee wa hsemicirculaa th t dn i ,bu r notcroundee th hn i d heel of the blade. The material of the hilt is unknown, as it has left no identifiable impression corrodee onth d surfac contacn ei s wherwa t t elikeli wits i blade e t i hth y t ,bu to have been of wood or horn. Minute traces of a black bituminous substance adherin survivine th o gt g rivet sugges possible resi f th tgluea o s e na .eus The blade belongs to a class of small, flat riveted knives which is widely distributed in Britain, and belongs to the earliest phase of the Bronze Age (c. 1700-1500 B.C.). These knives may be divided into two main classes, on lowee e shapbasie th th th f f reso o hilte edgth ,f eo whic frequentls hi y pre- served heres a , differentiay b , l corrosio more bladee th th e n f I numerouno . s class this outline is Q-shaped, the lateral portions being horizontal, with a central notc lunatee hb thay ,ma t semicircula penannularr ro fora , m clearly to be derived from prototypes with cast-bronze hilts in the Early Bronze Age of Central Europe smallee Th . r class whico t , presene hth t specimen belongs, has the outline of the hilt in the form of a splayed letter W, in which the lateral lines are shorter and lower than the pair forming the central notch. This appearspecificalla e b o st y norther westerd nan n British type, whose distribution is confined to Scotland and Ireland.1 Examples in the National Museum of Antiquities are known from a cist at Drumlanrick, Callander, Perthshire;2 from Dunragit Station, Glenluce, Wigtownshire; and from a cairn at Carlochan, Crossmichael, Kirkcudbright. Two specimens of a variant Hybrid versions incorporating features of both the Q and w types have been recorded from York- shir1e (Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements (1881), fig. 280) and Staifordshire (Archceologia, xxm (1871), pi. xxxiii, fig. 5). Anderson, J., Scotland Pagann i Times:. Bronz (1886)e eAg , fl 2 10 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F SO , 1954-56.

type with four instea thref do e rivets, from cairn t SketrawArran a si d nan , near Dunhar,1 have pommel-bindings of gold foil, which links them with similarly decorated dagger Wessee th f so x Early Bronz (1550-140e eAg 0 B.C.). absence prototype y forEarle Th W an th hilf m f o e n ye o ti th Bronzr sfo e Ag Centraf eo l Europe suggests tha proximae tth l otheorigie th thif d rno san Scottish examples should be sought in Ireland. The alternative hypothesis, that the type is an indigenous Scottish invention, afterwards copied by Irish bronze-smiths mucs i , h less probable t cannobu , excluded.e b t " 2 . Memsie.3 During the final stages in the northward withdrawal of the Moray ice-sheet in late glacial times several lines of gravel mounds were deposited in the zone between and Fraserburgh. Those to the north vallee Watee oth fth f Tyrieyf o r o , whictime th depositiof eo t h a n appears to have been occupied by an ice lobe, strike NW.-SB. and are associated with outwash gravel sandsd t Memsiesan A parise . th Rathenf n i h,o , such deposit e founar s d formin interfluvw lo a g e (11 . 0O.D.ft ) betweee th n Water of Tyrie and Doolie Burn south of the prominent gravel ridge known as the Sinclair Hills.3 In an otherwise poorly drained area this interfluve offered a relatively dry site for local prehistoric communities, and appears havo t e been useburiaa s da l ground ove considerabla r d e Ol period e Th . Statistical Account of the parish of Rathen describes three cairns at Memsie which '' -were very large till of late when great quantities of stones have been taken away from two of them. The remains of human bones were lately f them.o e founon " n i dOnl large yon e cairn a 20-foo, t moun f loosdo e angular stones, now remains to the north of the schoolhouse, but the local field boundary walls bear testimony to the quantity of stones originally contained in the other two cairns which once stood 200 yds. to the NW. on Cairne fare Th Memsieth f f mso o clearinn I themf .o e smala ,gon l glazed urn, externally roug unornamented han dparallex si sav r efo l grooved san with projectin e fitting lidth found,a s lug r f ,go wa s fo along wit honea - edged swor irof do n sheathed iwoodena donates nwa scabbardn dur e Th . Societe th o t Antiquarief yo 1827n si , a.nd Wilson 4 compare smallea o t t si r t almosbu t identical vessel found wit hskeletoa stona n ni e cis t Abbea t y Farm, North Berwick. Wilson also record discovere sth y "unde tumulura s at Memsie" of a beaker burial with a bronze leaf-shaped sword. shore Th t stone cist with beaker discovere Novemben di r 195 somy 4la e 200 yards WNW. of the cairns already referred to, on the west side of the cart-track leading from the Memsie—Rathen road to the farmstead of Upper Cairn. There was no surface indication of it ever having been covered by a mound, but cultivation has undoubtedly evened out the surface in this 1 P.S.A.S'., xxvn (1893) fig, . 1 , 1 . 3?or an early account of Scottish bronze daggers see P.S.A.S., XII, 454—6. a 3 The place-name Memsie (1408 Mamsy. 1726 Mamsy. 1732 Memsie) implies " rounded hillocks." 1 Prehistoric Annals of Scotland (1863) , 426i ;, 120 ii ; . THREE BRONZE AGE CIST BURIALS IN NE. SCOTLAND. 11 locality. The cist was 4 ft. below the field surface, bedded in sand and fine gravel covered an , coarsy db e gravel, water-worn pebblesins8 1 f .d o an , black, peat soil p t woulI yto . d appear that a shallobeed ha n t excavatewpi d originae th n i l surfac receivo et stonee ciste eth th f , so whic h wer sandf eo - stone enclosed ,an dspac a ins inslon. 4 6 . ft 1 . .y .eft g2 broa ft b deep 1 y db . lone Th g axiorientes swa d almos E.—We capstono du t N . discoveres ewa d durin r excavatiogou e cistt pocketth bu ,f no f carboniseo s d e wooth n di irregularities of the top surfaces of the side stones and in parallel bands immediately outside the area of the cist and level with the top of the side stones, suggest that some for timbef mcover o o bee d d rha rli n used. This d collapsedha , allowing fine sangraved dan o completelt l y e innefilth l r cavity. In such circumstances it would have been surprising if any skeletal

Inches Pig. 5. Memsie: Beaker. remains had survived; and indeed none were found, but in the north-west corner of the cist beaker-sherds were discovered. Sufficient of these remained to make a fairly accurate reconstruction of the original vessel (fig. 5). The beaker stands 5-8 ins. high and has the following diameters: base 3-1 ins., maximum body 5-7 ins., neck constriction 4-7 ins., mouth 5-3 ins. The ratio of neck height to body height is approximately 1 : 3, and wall thickness 0-2 s composeinsi t I . coarsa f do e paste with quart micd zan a gres i grits cor e blaco d yt th e an t , kwita hsmoota h russet-brown surface. The decoration on the neck consists of a zone of vertical impressions bordered by oblique lines, and bounded both above and below by five continuous horizonta lusualls i lines s A e case .yinnermose th th , t pai f horizontao r l lines contains the patterned zone closely. A plain band 16 mm. broad occurs immediately belo slighe wth t neck constriction maie th nd decoraan , - bode tioth f yno consist horizontao tw f so l zones separate relativela y db y narrow plain band disposed about its maximum diameter. The upper zone consist bana f thresf o d o e contraposed row obliquf so e impressions, giving double-chevroa n containes effecti d an , fivy db e horizontal lines abovd ean 12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56.

two below. The lower zone is more symmetrical, with four horizontal lines above and four below a band consisting1 of vertical impressions bordered by cross-hatching. The lower part of the vessel is plain except for three horizontal lines 0-. abov5in evertee eth d base.

DISCUSSION. A numbe f featureo r s illustrate e burialth y db s described above merit brief comments e firsth t n I plac . l threal e e grave e site ar sn grave i d l deposits, and in this are typical of a great number of contemporary intern- ments. Beaker potter bees yha n recovered fro mwida e variet physicaf yo l locations in Scotland and in various temporal contexts ranging from chambered tomb hengo st e monuments large th en i numbe t bu , instancef ro s wher t occurei shorn si t cist distributios sit n show clossa e correlation with sand and gravel deposits, whether glacial, fluvial or marine. Of course majorite th n thisi prehistorif s yo a , c find-distributions merely ma , y reflect incidence th discoveryf eo than i , t san graved dan l pits have been amone gth most common commercial form surfacf o s e excavatio recenn i t timest bu ; such deposits nevertheless do appear to have attracted beaker-making communities. An obvious attraction for burial parties was the tumulus-like shape acquire variouy db s glacial deposits, suc eskerss ha , terminal moraines or kames, under influence th f sub-aeriaeo l denudation t Criggia s a , e Croft, while the easier passage afforded by routes leading along gravel zones in contrast to heavier clay country appears to find expression in the number of cist-burials strun t alongou g ancient tracks, suc s thaha t leading west- wards through Memsie towards Tyrie t probabl;bu * y most significans i t the recognition by Early Bronze Age folk of the freely drained character of majoritye th sucf o h deposits. Eve perioa n t i notabl dno particularlr efo y high rainfall presence th , grounf eo d wate fluctuationd ran watee th f sro table appea havo rt e figured prominentl behaviourae th n yi l environmen sucf o t h groups, as indeed one would expect in the case of folk who drew a substantial part of their traditions from the Low Countries; and this is reflected in the nicet f choicyo e often displaye locatioe th n di f grave no wels sa s settlea l - ments. In some instances, as at Bught Park, further protection was afforded by sealing the interior with clay (cf. Broomend, ; 2 Stoneywood; 3 Glasterberryd an , Peterculter, )n 4i . Secondly, the special provision made by Bronze Age communities for the burial of children, and the social implications of this, as suggested by Marshall Brycd an erelatio n 5i groua o n t thref po e cist Buten si furthes i , r evidenced. remarkablCfe th . e grou cistf po t Uppesa r Boyndlie, Tyrie (P.S.A.S., xmi ff.9 7 ,; LXVII, 176 ff.), som 1milee4 s wes Memsief o t . 2 P.S..A.S., xvn, 455. 3 Reid, Illustrated Catalogue of Specimens from Prehistoric Internments found in the Northeast of Scotland, Marischal College, Aberdeen (1924). 9 . No , 4 P.S.A.S., xxxvi, 627. * Ibid., LXVIII, 423-8. THREE BRONZE AGE CIST BURIALS IN NE. SCOTLAND. 13 by the burial at Criggie Croft, and may be compared with other examples in NE. Scotland, such as at Inverurie, Upper Mains of Muiresk near ,1 and Burnside of Whitefield, .2 At Inverurie, for instance, the

cist contained an adult female and infant, two flint flakes, and a C and C A B beaker. At Criggie, from the positioning of the vessels, the two CA beakers smallee appea relatee th adule b d th o rt ran to d t C B beakechilde th o ,t r suggesting that different, but contemporary, beaker ceramics, usually analysed in terms of technical evolution, may in fact have social implications. t wilI recallee lb d that Abercromby, faced with this problem, concluded that 'morr ' o whe o e ntw beaker rathef so r different shape have been found with the same internment the difference between them can always be explained by supposing they were made by women of different ages or who came from different parts of the province. " In the case of Criggie, where the evidence

contemporaneite foth r buriae th f mothef yo o l unequivocachild o s r an s di l 3 and the craft and form of the grave pottery so divergent, an explanation could be sought along these lines. The forms of the C beakers find many parallels withi e Aberdeenth n provincee custoth d f placinmo an , o gtw A beakers with an adult burial is more firmly established there than in any other part of Scotland. Parallels to Beaker No. 3 are rarer but not unknown in this province, and R. B. K. Stevenson has described a very similar beaker

from the Black Isle. Thus the variou4 s necessary traditions were present in that beaker province whicf o ,. Kincardin hNE e constitute dsouthera n limb, accouno t combinatioe th r fo t typef no s discovere t t Criggiedsuca ye hd an , an explanation is not entirely satisfactory. One still is left with substantial difference e materialth n i s , texture, skild finisan l h exhibite y thesb d e beakersassumee on f I s. that they were mad esitee closth , o eespeciallt y for the burial, then Abercromby's solution implies that at least two if not three women closely associated with the buried woman and child, living withi nsmala l community t onlno ,y mixe theid n ddi theiclarow n d yan row firing t quitbu , e independentl anothee on f yo r built such distinctive potd san decorated them so differently. That the pot associated with the child was made particularl buriae th r lyfo appears unquestionable t tha e Cbu ,Ath t beakers were so constructed is less certain. If they were, then it is possible that the distinctions were consciously made for some social or ritual motive; alternatively, it is possible that in a period of pastoral nomadism and vigorous coastwise navigation such durable pottery had been made some time previousl beed ha n d carrieyan d over considerable distances—perhaps among the private possessions of a young wife. At onlotheo ytw r site Northern i s n Britain have three beakers been

foun singla n di e cist burial. Bot coastae har l sitebotd san h involve eth i P.S.A.S., xx, 98. 2 Ibid., XL, 306-10. Abercromby, J. Study,A Bronze e o th fPottery e Ag of Great Britain Ireland,d an i (1912). 20 ,

3 « P.S.A.S., LXXXin, 235. 14 . PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56.

burial of a young female. That at Keir, ,1 north of Aberdeen,

contained the remains of a 22-year-old woman and three CA beakers, of which one is notably smaller and less ornately decorated than the others. The second, discovere 186n di 2 nea Blue rth e Bell Inn, North Sunderland,

containe skeletoe dth girla f noriginalls o , whoswa e eag y estimate t "noda t 2 more than 9 years" but whose cerebral development and other bone dimensions would indicat esomewhaa t older person, probabl middle th n yi e 'teens, along with three beaker smallera s whicf wa s o e , hrelativelon y crude vessel of C form with central carination. The decoration of the latter

vessel closelyB resemble bode s t tha th Criggiea Beakef yn o 2 o t . r,No while the small fringing-triangles motif on the tallest of the North Sunderland beaker trianglef o s e recallus Beake n e so sth r No. 3. Decoratio hanginy nb g triangles, particularly towards the base of the pot, is characteristic of a wide range of beaker ceramic in Eastern Britain and Western Europe, and its significanc e Scottisth n i e h distributio s beenha n pointeMitchell.y b t dou 3 Although this Kincardineshire find helps to close a distributional gap she found between Aberdeenshire and SE. Scotland, it does not vitiate her thesis of coastal contact between these two areas. The link with Northumbria d evean n further sout s evidencehi e morphologicath y db l similaritf yo certaio t Beake 3 . n No rsouther n examples,4 whil raisee eth d cordon effect achieved by the alternation of grooves, plain ridges and decorated ridges on the neck of Beaker No. 1 may be compared -with the A-type vessel from Cairnpapple Hill, W. Lothian, describe . Piggott,S y mord db an e southerly

examples illustrated by Abercromby.6 6 If the Criggie pottery finds its context amid the goings and comings alon e Eastergth n Lowland f Britaino s e ,cultura parth f o t l regioe th f no North Sea coastlands, contacts across Scotland to the cultural region based on the Irish Sea appear to be evidenced by the Bught Park and Memsie sites. The bronze dagger from the former was found at the eastern mouth e Greaoth f t Glen transpeninsulaa , r route along which Irish halberdd san flat axes were transporte Norte th marketa o dht Se Earln si y Bronze eAg times,7 whil e beakeeth r fro e lattemth r display ornamentan a s l motif o f cross-hatc verticad han l lines -whic paralleles hi immediate th n di e vicinity and is found throughout a zone extending from the north-eastern coastlands vallee Clyde.e th th f o yt o 8 They serv confiro et mbeliea f tha majorite th t y of Bronz "mass-plote eAg " maps shoul regardee db mobilitys da traces rather

than distribution maps in the usual sense of the term.

2 Held1 , Catalogue. Marischal College, No. 5. Simpson, F. R., P. Berw. N. C. (1856-62), 428-30. 8 Crichtou Mitchell, Margare Analysiw e EarlNe th t f B.yA o s" , Bronz Beakee eAg r Potterf yo Scotland," P.S.A.S., i-xvin (1933-4), 132-89. ' See, e.g., Abercromby, loo. cit., Nos. 166, 144, 142, 74, 73, 72. 5 P.S.A.S., LXXXII, 105. ' Loc. cit., Nos. 161,167,177,206 ' Cf. .Piggott , 8., Neolithic Cultures of the British Isles (195^,261. 8 Although Mitchell (loc. cit., p. 144) argues that this ornamental motif originates with the beaker (No,. 225) from Mossplat, near Oarluke, the increasing evidence of its use in NB. Scotland must surely denote westward rather than eastward diffusion.