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IRON AGE DWELLINGS, CALF OF ED AY, ORKNEY. 167 II. EXCAVATIONS OF IRON AGE DWELLINGS ON THE CALF OF EDA ORKNEYYN I CHARLEy B . CALDERT . SS , A.R.I.A.S., F.S.A.ScoT. In an earlier report to this Society on the excavation of some pre- historic construction Cale Eday,f th o f n so 1I finishe witp du hbriea f note on a building which then had only been partly opened up and hurriedly e theorth s examined d s referrewa y s an Structurwa a , 3 t o I t d. No e propounde "Potter'a s a e dbeed us thasha n ni Workshopt i t lase th t n i " stage of its occupation, which, according to Dr Callander's report on the pottery ascribes Iroe wa th , n o dt Age . Last summe I rrevisite sitee dth , and laid bare the whole of the structure along with the remains of several chambers, presumably later, whic adjaceny e south-easthla th n o e t Th . result of this investigation enables me to produce a complete plan of all that remains (fig. 1) and to furnish a complementary account of the buildings. Originally the "Potter's Workshop" was a dwelling, and though there s beeha n little structural alteration, evidenc s lateit f reo phas worka s ea - shop presents itsel n detaili f s herthered ean ,e buildin sucth s a h a f o g secondary piece of •walling or the spread of peat-ash over a layer of black earth accumulated on the original floor. It is suggested also by the pottery anrude dth e stone implements whicf o assumee l har al , belono e dt th o gt later occupation. If some of these relics are earlier, they could not be distinguished from the rest as all exhibited the same coarse quality or rudeness of workmanship. Many of the implements lay immediately unde foundatione rth stila f slo later wal dikr lo e surmountin mound,e gth 2 others lay just below the grassy surface, and even on top of the ruined e dwellinth wal f o l g itselfe remainderTh . , with potter n greai y t pro- fusion s founwa , d throughou e infillinth t f stoneo gd eartan s h almost e originadowe disturbeth th o nt n i ld churne t flooran d Bu p stat. du e of the interior, due to earlier investigations, none could be grouped accord- ing to definite levels. e first-mentioneTh d buildin s roughli g y circula plan o r nd an (fig , 1) . measures from 38 feet to 41 feet in diameter. There is only one chamber contained withi e wallth n , which, where best preserved8 s froo i t , m7 feet walline thick,th t mucs gbu 3i h destroye s faceit mann d i s dan y parts 1 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. Ixxi . 115-54pp . 2 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. Ixxi . 116p . , fig. .2 3 In the first report a maximum thickness of 14 feet 6 inches was stated, but this measurement is now found to include the size over a compartment built against the interior face and not then discovered. FIRST BUILDING LATER WALLING SECOND BUILDING THIRD BUILDING A SLA N EDGO B E DECORATED POT B FALLEN SLAB SADDLE-QUERN C PROBABLE ENTRANCE KERB-STONE D HEARTH CIRCLED PAVING D CLARE EY HEARTH F PIT DRAIN KNOCKING STONE ASH-HOLE H STONX BO E J MORTAR K RECESS IO 5 O IO 20 30 4O 50 FEET l Illf| | I II l CSTC. Fig . Cal1 . Edayf o f : "Potter'e Plath f no s Workshop" (Structur , late3) . r DwellingIroe No nAg Structurd san . 4 . eNo IRON AGE DWELLINGS, CALF OF EDAY, ORKNEY. 169 have disappeared altogether. Surviving portions on the outside do not excee food1 inchee insid6 t th n heightn fee3 ei so inches 6 td e an ,Th . over-all diamete e interioth f o r s somi r fee4 2 einches 6 ta serie t f o bu s, nine small compartments, arranged roun e wall-faceth d , reduces this dimensio fee4 1 inches6 t o nt . These compartments, numbere9 o t 1 d vera n i ye plano nth e dilapidate ar , d condition, but, fro e evidencmth e of stones remaining either set on edge or laid on bed, each has been separated fro othee mth radiall y rb t partitionsyse . Fou, 8 themf d ro an 7 , , Nos6 , 1 . have been divided off fro e centramth l spac lony eb g low-set slabs (marked edgn o t e se acros , figAn i e compartmentse front1) . th th s f o s risind an , g from 1 foot 3 inches to 1 foot 10 inches above the original floor. These slabs are now loose and inclined inwards to the compartments. 1 Another slab, B, whic f position o d falle t hha y hav ou n ma ,e close f Compartdof - ment 5. There is a suggestion of walling across the fronts of Nos. 3 and 4, and No. 9 has been entirely closed off by a wall obviously built in the later period n generaI . e compartmentsth l , which var n d sizshapei y an e , average about 5 feet 6 inches in breadth and from 4 to 5 feet 6 inches from bac o frontkt , wit e exceptio- hth , whicre 6 e d f har Noso an n 4 . spectively narrower and broader than the others. The placing of the slab s reminiscenti s f primitivo d constructionbe e , especiall1 . No n yi Compartment, but certain features in others show that not all have been use r sleepindfo g accommodation. A narrow space, not closed in as a compartment, is left between Nos. e onl th thid ys an i s conceivabl , 9 d an 1 e part wher entrancn a e e th o et chamber could have been situated, sinc e maith e n wal s definei l d else- wher y eitheb e n outen innea a r r o rr face. Dotted indicatC line t a s e the probable course of its penetration, but no distinct trace of the entrance was actually observed in the broken-down wall. The central spac d eacan eh compartmen s verwa yt well laid with close-fitting paving-stones, the floors in the compartments being just slightly higher tha ne centre th than exceptio n A i t . e s madi nth f o e floor of Compartment 4, which was of clay, but it is thought that the paving herbeed eha n removed. In the previous account mention was made of a pavement slab serving as a hearth, D, a quantity of red clay, E, a stone-lined pit, F, and a knock- ing-stone, Gr, all situated in the central area. Two recesses, referred to as R! and R2, were also recorded, but in the light of the subsequent in- vestigation figurew s thes stoneno o Compartment s a e d eTw ar s . 8 d an 1 s in the latter were then stated to be the stumps of upright slabs, but only t probabli d an on , thef yeo so formems i d parradiaa f o t l partitione Th . other, actuall a stone sid n Compartmenf th yi o e e seeb w o nt no s i , 7 t box ,alsd Hf whicen oo , e remainshon s bottom s it wela ,s a l , consisting Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. Ixxi . 131p . , . fig13 . 1 170 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 193913 H . of several flat stones slopin e middlegth fro n i e sidelevea me . th o t son l The box measured approximately 1 foot 8 inches long by 1 foot 6 inches wide, and from 6 to 10 inches deep, and it had been made perfectly "water- tight by the application of clay-luting to the joints. Another of similar type, t Hwit1bu ; h onl ysingla e flat stonbottoma r e efo suns th n wa ,ki floor of Compartment 5. One end was missing, but the box had measured 2 fee inche 2 tfoo1 y t b s 9 ^inche3 inche1 d s an sdeep verA . y careful luting of red-tinged clay filled and covered the joints, and inside the box there was a large lump of yellow clay besides two rude stone imple- ments and some fragments of pottery. Ther s alsa wa oe small quantit yellof yo w clay endx outsidjusd bo an , t e eth south of it two pieces of the SLAB same stone, J, reused on edge, SECTION A-B were parte founa b f o o st d broken bowl or mortar. Two ill-matched slab edgen so , H2, lying parallel to one another at the south front angle of Compartment 3, resemble the e b y ma sidea boxt f o bu s, nothing more than the lowest stone a forme f o s r partition across the front. PLAN An outstanding featurn ei Pig . Cal.2 Edayf o f , "Potter's Workshop": Plad nan the main wall of Compart- Section of Recess in Compartment No. 2. ment 2 is a recess which measure fee2 s inche6 t s wid fully eb fee3 y t deep from fron o backt t , and 1 foot 1\ inches in height to the top of its broken-down walls (fig. 2 and PI. LXVII, 1). The back is irregular in shape, and it possesses a rough ledge like a scarcement, 5^ inches above the floor, from which level a well-constructed covered drain pierces the main wall.