Introduction

I. THREE METAL-WORK HOARDS OF THE ROMAN PERIOD FROM SOUTHERN SCOTLAND. By STUART PIGGOTT, D.LITT. HUM., F.B.A., F.S.A., F.S.A.Scoi., Professo Prehistorif o r c Archaeolog Universite th n yi y of Edinburgh. Read February 11, 1952. CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTION ... 1 THE CHARACTER AND CONTENT THE CIRCUMETH SITED -AN S HOARDE OPTH S ..8 . STANCE2 . FINDSE OTH F S. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THE DATE AND NATURE OP THE . .1 . HOARD6 . S HOARDS ...4 . THE CATALOGUE ..0 2 . INTRODUCTION. Some twenty-five years ago the late James Curie published in these Proceedingse classith f o c e paperon Romano-Britisn so h archaeology.n I 1 the course of this study, devoted to objects of Roman origin found in native site Scotlandn si discussee h , t dsoma e length witd an ,h characteristically illuminating comment, three metal-work hoards mad largelp eu f iroo y n objects, found respectivel n Kirkcudbrightshirei y , Roxburghshird an e Berwickshire. The first and last of these, from Carlingwark Loch, and Blackburn Mill in the parish of Cockburnspath, had been briefly published in early volumes of the Proceedings; the third find, that from Eckford, was published by Curie for the first time, though found in the 1880's. It is in no spirit of criticism of Curie's treatment of these finds that a reassessmen f theo t mundertakes i presene th n ni t paper. Full thougs hhi study was e threth , e hoardtako t ed theisha r widee placth n rei survey of Roma nativd nan Scotlandn i e ; sinc e 1930'e th r knowledgou s e th f eo Earl Britainn yi e Iroespecialld Ag nan , Nortn yi h Britain s greatlha , y increased. Furthermore, the publication of an analogous (if more spectacular) hoard from newa t Anglese se 194n . i r Cyri s x Si 6ha y Fo ly b standard for the treatment of such material, and has shown what can be > "An Inventory of Objects of Roman and Provincial Eoman Origin . .," P.S.A.S., LXVI (1931-2), 277-397. .1 1 VOL. LXXXVII. 2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1951-53. wrested from seemingly unpromising scrap f ironworo s y detaileb k d examination and comparison.1 Sir Cyril's Llyn Cerrig report was the direct occasion of the study of the south Scottish metal-work hoards presente thin di se papeth s a rr andfa o s , differing character of the hoards permits, the work has been organised along the same lines as he set out. The problems presented by the Scottish finds consideree ar d under various thein headsi d r widean , r setting firse th t n i , part of the paper, the second part consisting of a detailed Catalogue of the objectthree th en i s finds with their relevant comparative materiale Th . existenc thif eo s documented Catalogue render t unnecessarysi generae th n ,i l argumen papere th f givo o tt , e reference parallelo st othen si r than general terms, sinc entre eth y under appropriate th e number will give such detail aavailables si . Each hoar separatels di y numbered unde initian ra l letter— E. for Eckford, C. for Carlingwark Loch and B. for Blackburn Mill. The line illustrations, which form an essential part of the paper, were originally prepared by members of the Honours Class in Prehistoric Archaeo- logy in the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of the writer and with his eventual checking and revision. In their present form they are almost wholl wore yth f Misko s Audrey Henshal e Nationath f o l l Museum of Antiquities whoo t , e writer'mth s grateful thank l three duear sAl .e hoards are in the National Museum, and their publication here is made possible by the courtesy of the Keeper, Mr R. B. K. Stevenson, who has given constant help during the preparation of the material. THE SITES AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FINDS. e discover Th e eachoardn i th s hf yo wa instancs e accidentalo n d an , precis obtainede eb informatio w e detaile findinno th th .n o f t o s ca g s na Eckforde Th mads fin d wa 188workman a ei y 3b n while diggin littla n gi e plot of land known as Toddle Bigs on the farm of Easter Wooden in the parish of Eckford, Roxburghshire. Toddle Bigs is an oval patch of ground which dried-ua e b y pma loch lying withi Kale nth f 100eo Wate . northers 0ft it n ro n side. Some 25 pieces of metal were found, according to Curie, who first published the find: 19 are catalogued here, and among the missing fragments Curie identified pieces of a hanging-lamp or lamp-stand (cf. Blackburn Mill, gridiroa f o d nan (cf.) 26 Carlingwark. B 71). C , . The Carlingwark Loch find was made about 1866 by two fishermen near r Islane LochFi th e outskirte n di ,th th whicn o f Castls o shi e Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire objecte Th . s comprisin e hoargth d were containen di larga e bronze cauldron which appear havo st e been dredge frop de u mth shallo believe o referren w havwh o me t lak, t o di edto e tw bottoe th y mb i A Find of the Early Iron Age from Llyn Cerrig Bach, Anglesey (National Museum of Wales, 1946), referred to in this paper as Llyn Cerrig. (See also note on abbreviations, p. 20 below.) THREE METAL-WORK HOARDS OF THE ROMAN PERIOD. 3 belonge Edwardo t . dI More islandthae oartificialocf e e fth o nth on h s i n si l crannog type or is revetted with wooden piles, but no association between islands and hoard can be established.1 Blackburne Th Mill r Cockburnspato h fin s madd wa 2 e before 185y 2b labourers cutting a drain " in a haugh adjoining the Water of Eye, at a depth of abou ins5 1 t. belo e surfacewth , lyin blun go e clay, belo peate wth f "o "a moss on the farm of Blackburn Mill, parish of Cockburnspath, Berwick- shire." s Her e objecteth s were containe bronzo tw n di e cauldrons: "the one appeare havo dt e been inverte othere th n d,o wit articlee hth s within l^\JM Ap=K ? METAL- WOR. K H0AUD Pig. 1. Location-map for the hoards. them." This, the earliest and most precise of the three accounts of dis- covery,3 certainly implies tha e beefind th tha d n lakedeposited ol ,n a n di late becomo rt epeat-mossa . e deduceb Littl n ca ed from these meagre reports save commoon e n factor. The Carlingwark hoard came from an existing lake, Blackburn Mill almost certainly from an ancient one, and Eckford not improbably from a simila rbearine siteTh . f thigo s circumstance upo e originanth l naturf eo deposite th consideres si d . belo7) . w(p As we have seen, 19 identifiable objects or fragments survive from the Eckford find, which appears to have been larger: we are not sure, either, that the finder recovered the whole of the deposit. The Carlingwark find, inclusive of the cauldron which contained it, numbers about 100 pieces 1 P.S.A.S. VII (1866-8), 7; X (1872-4), 286; Munro, Anc. Scot. Lake-Dwellings (1882), 28, with further refs. 2 For the desirability of using Blackburn Mill as the name of the find, cf. Bosanquet in P.S.A.8., LXII (1927-8), 250. > P.S.A.S., I (1851-4), 42-43. 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1952-53. exclusive of indeterminate scraps; Blackburn Mill, with two cauldrons, totals some 65 pieces. We have then over 180 objects to consider, and, as wil seee b l n below, over 16 thesf 0o e have features which enabl mako t s eu e some sor classificatiof o t themf no . THE DATE AND NATURE OP THE HOARDS. The dates of specific objects in the hoards are commented upon in greater detai1 l in the Catalogue, and at various points in the commentary which precedes it. But in general it is clear that all three finds belong to some phase or phases of the Roman occupation of southern Scotland, and are the products of a native population able to acquire a considerable complement of Roman tools and other objects in addition to the products of native Early Iron Age craftsmanship. Most of these Roman objects cannot be dated except within broa de Blackburlimitsth t bu , n Mill hoard includea d broken bronze pater f Antonino a e ) hoarwhiceth s 52 typ f . i wa dh (B e deposite circumstancee unita th s ds a ,a findinf so g suggest, would providea terminus a quo for this event. The essentially peaceable character of the vast majorit objecte three th th f yo en si hoards, commente Curiey b n do , would sugges data t e afte initiae th r l Roman impact campaignine th n i ; g phase e occupatiooth f e acquisitionth f Romano n object f husbandro s e th y yb native populatiod 2n e th n o woult t unlikelye e wholedb 1s th e n th ,O . century A.D. represents the most likely covering date for all three finds. questioe naturTh e th f n theso f eo e deposits, however, canno answeree tb d so easily. Hoards of metal objects are well-known features of prehistoric archaeology therd generaa an , s ei l tendenc regaro yt d the representinms a g property buried in times of insecurity and not recovered, on analogy .with coin hoards.

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