Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1997)7 12 , 123-183

The excavation and restoration of the Canister Long chambered cairn, Caithness, Highland, 1967-80 Lionel Masters* with contributions by Audrey Henshall & Caroline Wickham- Jones with illustration Christiny sb a Unwin

ABSTRACT The excavations Camsterthe on Long chambered cairn, monumenta carethe Secretary in of the of State Scotland,for were begun Johnby Corcoran 1971-3in completedand between 1975 1980.and Pre-cairn activity identified structuralwas lightthe cast and was on sequence cairn.the The of validity currentthe of reconstruction discussed.is excavationThe post-excavationand work were organized and funded Historicby Scotland and predecessors.its

THE SITE AND ITS SETTING e hinterlanTh oftee th f nd o spectacular coas f Caithneso t gentls i s y undulating fertile ground, contrasting sharply with the low, bleak, wind-swept, treeless, infertile peat-covered moorland of the interior, bordered on the west and south by higher ground culminating in the Morven range (705 m). The legacy of glaciation can be recognized in the ground moraines and spreads of fluvioglacial gravel and sand. It is only in the Neolithic period that settlement on any significant scale can be detected. In Caithness Henshall (1963; 1972) recorded 70 chambered cairns, subsequently increased to 76 (Davidson & Henshall 1991), which vary considerably in plan and the arrangement of structural components notablA . e featur e clusterinth s ei f cairno g discretn i s e localities r examplfo , e between Lochs Calder and Shurrey (Henshall 1963, 54-6; Davidson & Henshall 1991, 17-20). Ther some ear e example pairinf so examplecairnr f go fo , sas Gree ,th y Cairn Camsterf so , where Camster Lon situates gi dawa m onl 0 yy 20 fro neighbous mit r Camster Round. Camster Long is located 2.4 km north of Camster Farm, in the Parish of Wick (NGR: ND 260442), in an area of desolate, peat-covered moorland some 10 km from the coast, although there has been considerable recent afforestation in the vicinity of the cairns (illus 1). The terrain is broke numbea y nb north/soutf ro h ridges, through som whicf eo h protrud locae eth l Latheron subgroup flagstones of the Upper Caithness Flagstone group (Mykura 1991, Table 9.1). To the west of the cairns the narrow Camster Burn meanders northwards through its wide valley, to join Wice th k River eas f Loco t h Watten north/soutw lo A . sitese h th ease ridge f ,th o tscreen o t , s them fro smale mth l Loc f Camsterho minoA . r road, first constructe 19td mi h e centurth n di y

* Dep Adulf t o Continuind an t g Education, Universit Glasgowf yo , Q Glasgo8Q 2 wG1 124 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

ILLUS 1 Location map. (Based on the Ordnance Survey © Crown copyright) MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED5 CAIR12 N

ILLU S2 Cair 196n i 6 before excavation, from south-east (Anderson 1866a, 245), also runs north/south between the cairns and the ridge. The peat cover is variabl depthn ei , fro vicinite mth lesn i f Camste syo m tha 3 n0. wese r Longth tn o oveo t , m r2 furthem Loce ban4 th o Camstef t f rh ko o p away u d detailer.A an d consideratio sitd e eth an f no its local settin includes gi soie th l reporn di t (prepare Rolany db d Golightly) which forms parf to the archive of the project records at the National Monuments Record of Scotland. lone north/soutw Th glo caira f soutne o lieth d ht hsen a ridgelevation a 115t eD a O mf no (illus 2). With a major axis orientation of 25° east of True North, its alignment is close to NNE/ SSW conveniencr fo : descriptionf eo , however axie th ,s wil takee b l NE/SWs n a nort e th f ho o T . site e lane th ,th d rises slightly fallt ,bu s away moderately steepl southe north-westh e o yt .Th t side is almos tvicinite levecairne th th n i lf yo , before falling away steepl valleCamstee e th th f o yt o r moss it Burn t sitta e impressivs ei Th . e when viewed fro south-ease mth r easto t , having taken maximum advantag slightle th f eo y higher altitude provide ridgee th y .db Camster Round lies some 200 m to the SSE of the long cairn and, in direct line, is separated from it by a shallow gully. The circular cairn, about 19 m in diameter, covers a long passage leading to a Camster-type tripartite chamber (Henshall 1963, 263-6; 1972, 548; Davidson & Henshall 1991, 102-4). Some 300 m to the south of Camster Long are the disturbed remains of a Bronze Age cairn 8.5 m in diameter, situated on the eastern edge of a north/south ridge. Anderson (1866a, 250) records tha cise th tt (whic stils hi l visible contained ha ) inhumation da n buria lrifles untiwa dt i l t lonno g befor s excavationshi e o souts r f thio ho e scarcelsfurthe A m th .cair 0 e nar 10 yr discernible remain Caithnesa f so s stone row. Situate shalloa n di w peat-covered hollo rowx wsi s made b n e ca out, trending generally north/south wit convergencha norte th ho et (RCAHMS 1911, 187) rowe wely associatee Th . sb lma d wit Bronze hth caire Dirlof eAg n (c Garrywhin& t : RCAHMS 1911,46, 178).

HISTOR EXCAVATIONE TH F YO S n 186I d 1865an 6 Joseph Anderson, with Robert Shearer, conducte da remarkabl e serief o s excavations at seven of the Caithness chambered cairns. His results brought into sharper focus 126 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

top of outer revetment as reconstruction top of inner revetment as reconstruction cairf o p nto before excavation disturbed facade horn horn entrance entrance chamber B chamber A

10 10m

ILLU S3 Contour pla simplified nan d longitudinal profile

the pioneering work of A H Rhind (1854, 100-8) at the Grey Cairns of Yarhouse, now known as Warehouse th e group (Henshall 1963, 298-302; Davidso Henshaln& l 1991, 152-6) n 186I . 5 Anderson explore Souto tw he dYarrowth s sites, followe shore th y td b horne d cair Ormiegilf no l (CAT 42) and Camster Round. In 1866, investigations were undertaken at a second short horned cairn at Garrywhin (CAT 26), the round cairn known as Kenny's Cairn (CAT 31) and Camster Long. Anderson (1866a, 232-49; 1866b) quickly publishe result e firss dth hi t f year'so s word kan offered further discussion of those sites and the ones investigated in 1866, in a second pair of papers (Anderson 1868; 1869a, 216-28). The record is completed by two general accounts (Anderson 1869b; 1886, 229-67). e followinTh g general descriptio compiles ni d from Anderson' maio tw s n publications regarding Camster Long (Anderson 1868, 485-7; 1869a, 221-5): these differ only in minor details. The cairn is described as being orientated NE/SW, with a length of 195 ft (59.44 m); 64 ft (19.5 m) wide at the north-east end and 32 ft (9.75 m) at the south-west end. The maximum height cairthe n of occurred toward north-eassthe the cair t (4.5The endft n had 15 7,m). wherwas eit appearance of a series of hummocks joined together along the spine (Anderson 1868, 484). Trenching alon south-ease gth caire t th sid nf e o reveale passage dth e entranc chambeo et A r MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 127

(illus 3). Further trenching along the south-east side led to the discovery of the passage to chamber B, and both sets of passages and chambers were excavated. Anderson found the passage to chamber A to be almost intact, as was the chamber itself. Roofing survived over the passage and outer compartment of chamber B: the rest had collapsed. Apart from some human and animal bones, no other finds were made in the chambers. In his plan, Anderson (1868,484) depicts a double revetment around the cairn. He uses two conventions for this, the first being stones drawn in outline, and the second, a broken line. It is possible that where Anderson shows stones in outline for the inner revetment, either he could see it or found it as a result of his trenching. The outer revetment is depicted throughout by stones in outline innee th ;stone y rb outlinn si e onl eitheo yt entrancre sidth f a e o r chambeo efo t d an , rB short distanc south-wese th o eentranct e th f o t chambeo et rese th t , beinA r g suggestee th y db broken line symbol outline .Th e symbo uses li depico dt revetmento ttw cairne th f eithet s.o a d ren A broken line is used to indicate a circular revetment around chamber B: evidence for this is nowhere mentione s texthi sn i dapar t fro ma passin g referenc o unspecifiet e d 'indications' (Anderson 1868,493). Anderson suggested that there might be further chambers still to be found caire th tai e nreportif e nth lo and on n ,i , mentioned that there were indeed 'indication othersf so ' (Anderson 1869b, 268). Canister Lon s visiteCurieO gwa n A 191di ,y 0b durin g fieldwor e Caithnesth r fo k s Inventory, when he found the passage to chamber A still open, but the chamber filled in. While the passage to chamber B was blocked, the chamber itself had only suffered minor collapse on the south-west side (RCAHMS 1911, 183). The discovery of .303 cartridge cases and part of an artillery cairn e shel superficiath d n lan i , l disturbanc cairne relat y th taie f th ,lma o activit o et n e i y in the Second World War. Durin r survechamberee ghe th f yo d tomb Scotlandf so , Audrey Henshall visited Camster Long in 1955. She could add little to Anderson's account, but was able to see some indication of the circular revetment around chambe alsd an o B drer w attentio possibilite th o nt thira f yo d chambe south-wes e caire th th t nrf a o (Henshald ten l 1963,262-3). excavatione Th t Camstesa r Roun Ritchie 196R n thed e i 196d P th 6 nan y r 7 b Ministr fo , y of Public Buildings and Works (MoPBW), were confined to the removal of cairn material above the passage rood arounan f e chambeth d o facilitatt r e conservation. Excavatio s alsowa n undertaken in front of the entrance, where a slightly cuspate entrance area, defined by dry-stone walling, was revealed to either side of the entrance. Unfortunately, the drawings and notes made then canno locatede tb . Wor 196 n ki 196d 7an t Camste 8a r Lon alss gowa supervise Ritchiey db , confines wa d minoo dt an r excavation entrancee th t a s boto st h passages removae e th ; th f o l collapsed roofin d superincumbenan g t cair chamben ni e consolidatioth ; A r f chambeo n B r (which required the cutting of a major section from the north-west edge of the cairn to the back chamber)e oth f somd an ; e remova north-ease f stoneo lth n i t forecourt. Again, unfortunately, the records of this work cannot now be located. In 1971, John X W P Corcoran, of the University of Glasgow, was invited by the Department of the Environment (formerly the MoPBW) to undertake a major programme of excavation. Corcoran worked for three seasons, a total of 23 weeks between 1971 and 1973, with smala l tea volunteermf o localld san y recruited workmen than I . t tim north-ease eth e t halth f fo cairn (comprisin chamberso tw e gth , north-east forecour caird an t n revetments) were excavated and restored and a start was made on the excavation of the south-west forecourt and the revetmen taile th . f Corcoran'o t s prolonged illness durin earle gth y 1970s, leadin tragis hi o gct death in 1975, robbed the academic world of a distinguished scholar and excavator. As Corcoran died whil e excavatioth e s stil progressn i nwa l ,e materia nonth f beed eo ha ln preparer dfo 128 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

platform steps fagade

replaced cairn material

20N-|-

10N+ 30E

horn D horn C fagade platform

0 10m

ILLUS 4 (a) Outline plan showing revetments as presently reconstructed. (b) Layout of trenches (1967 — PR Ritchie; Roman numerals — JXWP Corcoran; 1976-80 — L J Masters); cairn revetmen suggestes ta M LJ y db MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 129

publication. Fortunately, the archive comprises a large collection of photographs and slides. Corcoran kept daybooks for his three seasons but these are sometimes deficient in crucial aspects of interpretation; that information was doubto n , Corcoran'n i , s mind n 197I . 1 detailed plans were blockinmade th north-ease f eo th n gi t forecourt stara d t pla e an elevatio,madd th n an n eo n of chambe . LittlA r e detailed plannin s undertakegwa e lateth e excavationrn ni th par f o t , resulting in complications in interpretation of the long cairn revetments on the north-west side, in relationshie th f chamberounps o it o t d A cairnr betweed an , putative nth e circular revetment around chamber B and its relationship to the long cairn revetment (illus 4). e presenTh t write s invitewa r o completdt e excavationeth , whic s achievehwa fivn di e seasons from 1976 to 1980. Work was concentrated entirely in the south-west half of the cairn, but the experience gained has enabled the writer to assess objectively the work undertaken by Corcoran elsewhere. From numerous conversations with John Corcoran, the writer hopes he can reflec views hi t s fairly: wher writee e th choses rha disagreo nt e wite hb thoso t d eha viewss ha t i , on the basis of an imperfect archive, supplemented by discussions with those who assisted with excavatione th . The excavation added little to our knowledge of the date and use of chambered tombs and repore th therefors i t summaryea fulleA . r report, examinin detain g i cair e bode d th lth n f an y o the reconstruction, is lodged with the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS/ RCAHMS). Consolidation and restoration were finally completed in 1981.

EXCAVATION REPORT This repor divides ti d int onumbea sectionf ro s arranged very approximatel coincido yt e wite hth likely sequenc f eventeo s associate buildine d th e wit lane d pre-caire th th h f th dan f g o o e nus monument. Thus buriee th , d soil under bot caire extra-revetmend hth nan consideres i t d first, followed by chambers A and B, their associated passages and circular revetments. The long cairn with its revetments (and their subsequent collapse) is followed by the two forecourts and their blockings. Finally cisto tw ,s conclud prehistorie monumente th th f o e cus . Before beginning the report, it is necessary to define a few terms. As much of the excavation project was geared towards a final situation where the public would have safe access to the cairn, greaa t dea restoratiof o l n wor requireds kwa thin I . s report, 'reconstruction uses i ' describo dt e work undertaken under archaeological supervision, where features were directly reassembled from collapsed remains; 'rebuilding' cover wore sth k undertake masonse th y nb , which generally involved the taking down of archaeological reconstructions, after careful recording and photography, and a reassembly of the material (using the original stones wherever possible) into firm concrete supporting walls. 'Consolidation' is used for the preservation of in situ features where this was possible without reconstruction and/or rebuilding. Finally, 'restoration' is used whe exace nth t natur measuree th f eo recordedt s genera a take no s s a nd wa l an ,ter covemo t e rth final presentatio monumente th f no . site eTh grid, whic uses hi describo dt locatioe eth somf no e features poins it origif s to ha , n to the south-west of the cairn and is divided into 1 m squares to north and east. The grid was established by Corcoran, and it must be noted that in measurement he gave Northings before Eastings e revers th ,a norma f o e l grid reference e procedurth ; s followe writer'e wa e th n i d s excavation for the sake of consistency. Reference is also made to the series of cuttings established during Corcoran's excavation (illus 4). 130 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

PRE-CAIRE TH N SOIASSOCIATED LAN D FEATURES Soils The opportunity to excavate just over 200 sq m of buried soil was afforded by the removal of the south-west half of the cairn, a further 90 sq m was directly covered by extra-revetment and coveres south-wese wa th m y d2b q 5s t forecourt blocking. Corcoran's limited record pree th -f so cairn soil in the north-east part of the cairn do not contradict the findings of the investigation in south-weste th . The detailed analysis of the soils under the cairn and in the surrounding area is the subject of a specialist report lodged with the archive of the project records in the NMRS; it is only necessary her summarizo et maie eth n findings. pre-cairne Th soi classifies li peata s da y podso Camstee th f lo r series which excavationn o , , was found to be very variable in colour, ranging from grey to brown, yellow/brown to orange. The presence of an iron pan was noted at the interface between the edge of the extra-revetment and the peaty iron podsol beyond. Some factors will have directly affected the upper soil horizons, particularly the Al horizon: these include damage caused during cairn building, compression fro weighe overlyine mth th f o t g stone burden furthed an , r damage caused during excavation ni removae th basae th f llo layer, despite measures adopte counteraco dt . tit Within the cairn there were vast amounts of shattered rock, here termed 'scree', mixed with fine granular crystals of quartz, both of which were derived from weathering of the cairn stones, mainl resula s y a frosf o t t action. This mixture occurred vertically throughous cairne wa th t bu , particularly noticeable and, indeed, more compact amongst the basal stones. A particular problem was, therefore abilite th , differentiato yt e betwee scree base th nth f e e o mixtur y an d ean topsoil horizon immediately unde cairne rth . Whil eunifora m t availablpicturno s everer wa efo y soil locality sampled, the following sequence may be proposed on the basis of cumulative evidence:

l horizoA n Betwee unded nslopinan e rth g edge basaf so l cairn stone mixea s i d soil layer comprising scree reddisa d an h brown 'granular' loam t containeI . findw f potterfe o s da flaked yan d stone 'granulare Th . ' nature of the soil is attributed to the burrowing activities of ants and beetles, and the reddish colour to iron in solution.

An A2 horizon was present at some sampled localities: it differed from the Al horizon mainly on the basis lowes ofit r organic matter status. Again smalw fe la , finds were made from this soil.

B horizon soils which comprise a number of textures (gritty, sandy, ashy) and considerable colour variation (yellow/brown, light brown, brown, orange/brown). With the exceptions of an ashy texture and colour variation produced by burning (red, black with charcoal), none of the other variations in texture or colour need have resulted from human activity. The majority of the small finds were made either at the interface between the A and B horizon soils, or just into the B horizon soils.

Burnt areas A number of burnt areas were located both under the cairn and in both forecourts (illus 5). The majority lay close to the main axis of the cairn and varied in size from small spots, 0.3 m in diameter to much larger areas up to 2.3 m by 1 m. Colour varied from black to bright red and MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED1 CAIR13 N

10N 20N 30N

• post-hole (1-8) vj* burnt area o possible post-hole (a-h) • stake-hole

_|_20E

10N 20 N 30N

^U 2-5

VA 6-10 0 5m ^ 11-15

H 154- south-wese ILLUTh S5 cairnte parth f o t: (top) pre-cairn features; (bottom) densitm q finds f yo r spe 132 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

flecks of charcoal were present throughout. None could be convincingly described as hearths, for they were irregular in plan and showed no evidence of deliberate stone settings. Although some were contained in slight hollows in the B horizon subsoil, none showed evidence of having been deliberately dug.

Post-holes stake-holesand Evidence of other pre-cairn activity is provided by eight certain and a further eight possible post- holes detected with some difficulty in the subsoil (illus 5). eighe Th t post-holes (PHI-8) were widbotm m e h0 circula36 o ovalt d ran m ,m fro0 m15 and between 80 mm and 200 mm deep. Packing stones were found in all eight. PH6 cut through whahavy ema t bee earliern na post-hole containe5 PH . dflina t inner packins flakit n ei g (cao tn secondara 386 d )an y pose flakth t n epipi e (ca 387)o tn furtheA . r eight features ('a y 'h'o t ' )ma also have been post-holes. Featur ' containee'e sherde th l dsal foun potterf do y vessel PI4; 'f' contained two featureless Neolithic sherds. (Detailed descriptions of individual features are given archive iprojecne th th f eo t record NMRS.e th t sa ) addition I post-holee th o nt possibld san e post-holes stake-hole9 1 , s (SH1-19) were found. depthn i m .m Onl0 e 13 y on diameten o i t Thes m m frod m m e0 5 ran mvarie7 3 o t dm from 0 m4 (SH9) terminated in a clear pointed bottom; the rest were more gently rounded. Fills varied from brown to grey/brown and dark grey, frequently associated with flecks of charcoal. The fills do not see represenmo t t anything more tha overlyine nth horizogA n soils through which they were cut. singlA e convincin locates wa t gdpi withi south-wese nth t forecourt, clearly coveree th y db forecourt blocking. It was 450 mm in diameter and 150 mm deep. It contained a fill of black soil surrounde underlaid dan grey nb y soil which turn n surroundei s , wa , underlaid d an soil d re .y nb Fleck f charcoaso l were present throughout. Although there were three rounded stonee th n so edge of the pit, these appeared to be in situ natural inclusions, and did not serve as the packing for a post.

Smallfinds With the exceptions of a very small number of featureless Neolithic pot sherds found within the forecourto blockingtw similaa e th d f san o r small numbe flakef ro d stone finds from beloe wth extra-revetment, the vast majority of the small finds came from the areas under the cairn and below the forecourt blockings. There may be a special case for considering separately the small finds fro forecourte mth thosd san e recovere Corcoray db n from within chamber thi; B s si d an sA discussed further belows alreadha t I . y been mentioned tha te find somth sf o ewer e clearly associated wit vere hth y soithi2 A ln horizons d A majoritan le th t ,bu y were interfacfoune th t da e between the A and B horizons or just within the top of the B horizon. Because of the discontinuity horizoA e t opossibl fth lacs no n it depthf s ko soid consideo wa et lan t i , cleay ran r chronological separatio smale th r l nfindfo s unde cairne rth . Detail pottere th flakef d so yan d stone assemblages providee ar specialise th n di t reports below (Henshall; Wickham-Jones). Her onls i t ei y necessary mako t e some general comments. It is apparent from a plotting of the find spots of both pottery and flaked stone that, while vase th t majority occurred unde cairne rth distributio e ,th t uniforno s ni m (illu . Ver finds5) w yfe s were e aremadth an ei betwee n lOm d 15mNNan t ther thes bu , ewa nsubstantiaa l increase culminating in the area between 22mN and 28mN. Thereafter, the density of finds decreased until excavatioe th f o d t 34mNen n a e majorite th Th . findf yo s were made alon ridgee spine gth th f eo , MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 133

tendencthera d s an edecreasa wa r yfo densitn ei proximitn yi linee th so y latet r caire taketh ny nb revetments. An unfortunately large proportio pottere th f no y comprises rather small featureless body sherds, no more than 20 mm sq, rather heavily abraded. The pottery report distinguishes 15 different pots from under the cairn, represented by over 80 sherds in the case of vessel PI and its possible variants, to single rim sherds in the cases of P15 and P16. Concernin piece0 46 e s gwhicth h compris flakee eth d stone assemblage vase th , t majority again came from unde cairne th r . Activit ridge th en yo prio cairo t r n constructio s beenha n demonstrate dmanufacture botth y hpossible b th y b toolf eo ed removasan finishef o l d products areao t s outwit excavatione hth . Thiaccorn i s si d evidenc e wit th rese f hth o t e which t wili , e b l suggested below, is perhaps more indicative of temporary rather than permanent occupation on the ridge.

Radiocarbon dates Three samples were submitte r radiocarbodfo n assay l beinal , g collected sample f charcoaso l flecks from the top of the B horizon subsoil under the tail of the cairn. It was not possible to provide sufficient charcoal from the discrete burnt areas for radiocarbon assay at the time of submission e dateTh . s resulting from these collected sample (GU-1707)P B e 4950 ar 8 s 0+ , 4915 ± 60 BP (GU-1708) and 4920 + 125 BP (GU-1709). three Asth e date statisticalle sar y indivisibl sigme on t aea level consideree b , they yma d together. Allowing for dendrochronological calibration using the MASCA curve, the burning on the ridge would relate to the early centuries of the fourth millennium BC. There is no persuasive argument against associating this burning wit potterye hth , flaked stone, post-hole staked san - holest musi t tbu , mattea stil e b ljudgemen f o r t what interva f timo l e elapsed befor caire eth n covere tracee dth thif so s activity hope th obtainin f en o I . g som epossible ideth f ao e time interval, sample radiocarbor sfo n assay were submitted fro burne mth t area botn si h forecourts; that from the north-east forecourt was judged to be insufficient for assay. The date obtained for the burnt south-wese areth n ai t forecour B0 478Ps i t 17 (GU-1706) 0± . Whil meae eth slightlns i y later than three th e dates from unde cairne rth larg e th , esigme erroon t ara level (reflectin smale gth l sizf eo the sample) makes the forecourt date statistically indivisible from the others. The implications of the activity under the tail of the cairn and its possible association with cairn building is discussed further.

CHAMBE PASSAG: RA ROUND EAN D CAIRN After his abortive attempt to locate a passage in the centre of the north-east forecourt, the passage entranc chambeo et eventualls wa rA y discovere Andersoy db resula s na trenchinf o t g alone gth south-east side. The following description is based on his two reports, which differ only in minor discrepancie measuremenn si t (Anderson 1868,485-6; 1869a, 222-3). The passage entrance was located 30 ft (9.14 m) down from the end of the north-east horn, littls wa e mord an e e th tha t (5.1f (0.6 t f f firs o e n 7 ) 2 hig) 1 Th 8widtd 1m m . han 7) e (illu& 6 , s4 passag straighn ewhicra f o passage d thth en int cairntowarde e ° oth th e 50 t turner a , e o sth ° d45 north-eascaire th nf o betwee d en t n 'a eitheflan o t p stonru t sideese ' (Anderson 1869a, 222)t I . then continued for a further 6-7 ft (1.83-2.13 m), where it entered the chamber by means of an irregularly arched doorway 18 in (0.46 m) wide. The outer part of the passage, as far as the two orthostats, was roofed by substantial lintels: the remainder of the passage was unroofed and 134 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

ILLUS 6 Passage to chamber A: passage lintels removed and chamber partly consolidated; from south-east

Anderson commented that he could not decide if the stones filling the passage were the result of § the K ti as h passage mako th t ot ma'keeou e walls± wit degre y thhan " certaint f eo ^y rf^' ^ ^' ™ "^ «P^ ^ * ™ -aWe The chamber is described as being irregularly pentagonal in form, comprising five orthostats

"tactW° after mbbithclearin5°- ^h; g° flouth

e b 0 t d f Un S Wa r a g Ve Chambe S rbellin C 6 rubbish flooe y ,th r comprise largo heavd tw ean y overlapping slabs heighe chambee th .Th f to s ri ITeTof A^t? ° f' - ^ , K ° ' ' ^ ^ ^-f fTOm 6 m°™ 1 9anlmalth8e son abon beneatd ae Smgl(sinh^ (descnbeee St lost)ne , 9 nothind m a (0s th2g3 was chamber foune arth en de i formeTh . d the MASTERS: CAMSTER EONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 135

outer passage _

10 1 m

ILLU S7 Pla elevationd nan passagf so chambed ean rA

Corcoran's work in this area constituted one of the major parts of his excavation. As the needs of restoration required the removal of considerable areas of cairn around and above the chambe passaged ran opportunite th , availabls ywa substantiar efo l excavation. Cuttin I (illugII s s designewa ) o allo t 7 o expos t de passageI w4& th X e lin f d th d cuttingeo e an an , I VI s conservation of the chamber. Cuttings III and VII were eventually linked up, providing a staggered cross-sectio cairne th f n,o whic unfortunatels hwa t recordedyno . However plaa ,d nan elevation drawin passage th f chambegd o passage an pla a th f d no ran e lintels were prepared. t woulI d seem that Corcoran foun outee dth passagre parth f o t muc n ei same hth e stats ea Anderson lef. Seveit t n lintels were still present ove distanca r f 5.. Removaeo 1 m caire th nf o l material abovpassage th line f eth eo e reveale dnumbea falsf o r e lintels overlyin passage gth e lintel moro sn som(illun e I e b . thathiy e) s7) fortuitoue case5a nsma th g s(e s placin flaf go t slabs but, wit othere hth false sth e lintel havy sma e been place tako d t weighe eth t ofmaie fth n lintels 6a)& differenb .A 5 , 3a g t explanatio(e suggestee b false y th n ema r linteldfo sIbd la.an Thers ei clearly a gap between lintels 1 and 2, and lintel 2 is also set some 0.2 m higher than those in front betweebehindp d ga an e bridges i n.Th 2 lintel d lony db an gs1 slabs, laid parallel wit abovd han e the line of the passage walls; false lintel la rests on these long slabs and Ib rests above it. The gap between lintels 1 and 2 is intriguing, resembling as it does the well-known roof-box at Newgrange (O'Kelly 1982, 93-6). Unfortunately, the considerably disturbed nature of the area makes further speculation difficult. outee Th passagre parth f survived to eha d remarkably well walle Th . s were built with long, thin slab t witse s h their long axes paralle wall-facee th o t l , alternating with t rightslaba t se s- angles, and, therefore, tongued back throug wale hth l lin givo et e greater stability eighe o s r .Th to course dry-stonf so e walling reste foundation do n blocks, generally lonbetweem g6 0. d n an 0. 5m 0.1o t thickp 5 m u heigh e passage d th Th . an f o t e beneath abous lintewa 1 tl 0.7increaset i ; 5m d juso t t ove belom 1 r w linte , fel undel2 m l agai8 0. r thelinted o nt an n 3 lgraduall y increased until undem 1 pavins o r linteiwa tTw . g7 l slabs wer epassage e benfoune th th n dt i d a : otherwise eth 136 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

Sm

ILLUS 8 Round cairn revetment of chamber A with single long cairn revetment in foreground; from north-west floor comprised the natural pre-cairn soil, apart from a block set across the line of the passage directly below lintel 2. passag e bene th f cruciaf Th o do s ei l importanc unravellinn ei histore gth f thiyo s cairn. Unfortunately, few details were recorded and this description is largely based on photographs. The change in direction is marked by orthostats A and B (illus 7) both set at an angle of about outee linth e f rth 40eo passageo °t orthostat.o Whiltw e eth parallele sar , the certainle yar t yno opposite each other. It is suggested that these orthostats mark the boundary between the original passage of the round cairn, and the extension of the passage (on a different alignment) to the edge of the later long cairn. The only clue to the nature of this inner passage is provided by Andersen's comment that the passage entere chambee dth meany rb f 'aso n irregularly arched doorway' (Anderson 1868, innee res486)th e f passagrth e to parf th .I f beetd o eha n roofe same th en di way woult ,i d account for the collapse and the lack of any large lintel stones. MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 137

Corcoran re-excavated the area beneath the two paving slabs in the chamber, rinding a few fragment bonf o s fronintersticee n ei th orthostaf o tn i d an s betwee3 t d nan orthostat3 , 3 d an s2 4, and 4 and 5. A rim sherd also came from between orthostats 4 and 5, although this may have originate pre-cairn di n activity. Corcoran's major new discovery here was of a round cairn enclosing chamber A and the innermos tpassag s par it roune f to Th . ed (illu8) cair & sn4 revetmen reveales wa t numbea n di r of cuttings: no large-scale plans appear to have been drawn, the line of the revetment being indicated only on the main 1:100 site plan, where its maximum diameter is shown as c 7.5 m. It appear t truls tha no cair e ys th tcircular nwa r exampleFo . south-wess it , seemc almose b ar t o st t north-wese straightpare th f th o ts i locates c a , ar t revetmene cuttinn di Th . gXI composes i t f do substantial block slabsd san , laid with their long axes paralle revetmene th o t l t lineblocke Th . s are generally less than 1 m in length, and some are as much as 0.3 m in thickness. Some of the block havy sma e been tongued back intcairne oe th maximu Th . m heighrevetmene th f o t s i t 1., comprisin2m g eight courses, wit huppebattea e th o rt courses. From photographe th s there appears to have been little or no collapse of the revetment, but there was some slumping of the crackine courseth o decompositiot d e gan sdu thie th n f nslabso . The build of the round cairn, in so far as it was exposed, seems to follow a radial pattern, the slabs employed in the upper part radiating from the corbelling of the chamber, contrasting with the direction and pitch of the long cairn stones. The overall impression is of a substantial round cairn which could well have had an existence independent of the long cairn. The apparent misalignmen roune th f do t cairn revetmen junctios it t a t n wit passage hth e orthostats casts some doubt on this impression, and the situation is discussed further below.

CHAMBER B: PASSAGE AND CIRCULAR REVETMENT Having discovered the small, polygonal chamber A under the apex of the first hummock of the cairn, Anderson followed up the clue and discovered the entrance passage to chamber B (a tripartite Canister-type), unde e seconth r d hummock t (15.2f 0 ) furthe5 , 4m r dow caire nth n (Anderson 1869a, 222wits A h. ) chambe9) (illu descriptione & th s4 , A r measurementd san s give Andersomaiy o nb tw ns reporthi n i s hardly differ (Anderson 1868,486-7; 1869a 224-5). passage th firsf (1.5t e f o describe5 s ) Th eti 2 m (0.4n i beins wid) d6 a 6rudel d t m f egan 1 y arched over by small flat slabs. Although no actual height is given, it was said to be higher than the passage further in. The remainder of the passage is described as being 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m) wide and 4 ft (1.22 m) high. It was lintelled by large slabs, each one placed higher than the last, so that they looked like the underside of a flight of steps. This method of roofing was carried over the first pai divisionaf ro lterminated stone (1.3an n i , 4 2heighst m) a f (orthostatt 4 a d f ) o t2 d an s1 at a height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) above the second pair of divisional stones (orthostats 3 and 4). chambee resth e f unroofets o Th rtimwa e Anderson'f th eo t da s excavation. Dimension thee sar n given for the various components of the chamber and for the heights of the divisional stones. Anderson commented that the dry-stone side walls of the chamber were slightly curved and, given the corbelling present in the inner part of the chamber, that this had been roofed with a barrel vault. The maximum height of the walling is given as 7 ft (2.13 m). Between orthostats 3 and 4, Anderson (1868, 486) describes a curious construction: the space between the orthostats was restricted by a pair of false jambs surmounted by a lintel and with a threshold slab on edge. This narrowed the gap between the two main orthostats from 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m) to less than 2 ft (0.6 . Unfortunately1m) furtheo n , r dimension constructioe givene th sar d an , n collapsee th n di cours Anderson'f eo s excavation. 138 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

1______0______1 m

ILLUS 9 Plan and elevations of passage and chamber B

The passage and chamber are aligned at a slight angle to the main axis of the long cairn, and the entrance corresponds with a directional change in the line of the double revetment of the long cairn entrance Th . e arebeed aha n somewhat disturbed, probabl MoPBy yb W consolidation in 1967. Corcoran's excavatio aree th an i indicate d tha outee tth r revetmen acrosn tra frone sth t of the entrance; the presence of two straight joints, however, indicated the possibility of a later blocking inserted in line with the outer revetment. Photographs indicate that three courses of MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 139

outer revetment survive situn di eitheo t passagre sidth f eo e entrance, comprising very thin slabs to a height of no more than 0.15 m; the blocking consisted of four stones, one of which had been t transverselyse could an , d well have been inserte t somda e time afte buildine th routee th f rgo revetment. e outeTh e passager th par f o t , 'rudely arche y overlappinb d g stones n Andersen'i ' s description (1868, 486), measure lengtn i m h7 innesfroe 1. face th mf th re o long cairn revetment. Preparation for the restoration of the inner passage required the removal of superincumbent cairn material. This revealed eight lintels. They were, as Anderson described, arranged like a flight of steps, and covered the inner parts of the passage and first compartment of the chamber. passage Th dry-walles ewa d throughout. Whil side eth e firs e wallth tf compartmenso chambee th f o tslightl e rar y concave, thosf eo secone th more dar e markedl givin, yso Ther. maximuga m lengta 4 ed 1. f an ho m m widt8 2. f ho side ivoisa th e n waldi thif o l s compartment, adjacen orthostao t t whicr fo write e , h4 tth n rca offe explanationo n r chambe e bace th f Th .k o formes ri massiva y db e slab, inclined outwards, and measuring 1.6 m long by 1.2 m high. The side walls of the chamber still retained a considerable degree of corbelling on the north-east side over the second and third compartments and over adjacenorthostae th d an t 3 tsid esecone walth f o ld compartment; elsewhere corbelline th , d gha either collapsed backstone e int case chambeth e of th th e o n i hav y , ror ,ma e collapsed back into cairne maximuth e Th . m heighcorbellinge th f to , before restoratio t 1967I n i . abous m ,wa 3 t2. is impossible to be precise about the form of the roof: while a barrel vault is a possibility, the inner part of the chamber could equally well have been roofed with a conical vault, similar to that at Canister Round. Corcoran re-excavated the floor of both passage and chamber, revealing slabs within the oute passagere parth f o t , interpretee whicb n hca pavings da sockete partd th an f , so s and/or packing e orthostatsstoneth r fragmentw fo s fe A . f bono s e were note s cominda g froe mth passage and, fro firse mth t clearin chambee th f go r floor scattea , charcoalf ro fragmentw fe ,a f so bone and three pieces of flint, the latter all coming from near the back of the chamber. Four more piece flinf so t were found, includin vero gtw y fine kite-shaped points l cominal , g fro southe mth - west side of the third compartment. There are problems with Corcoran's interpretation of this context, which advises some caution in too readily associating the two kite-shaped points with deliberate depositio chambere th n i ; they could equally wel associatee lb d with pre-cairn activity. As noted above Anderson indicates on his plan a circular revetment around chamber B, but gives no reason for this. Nevertheless, within cutting Vlb, Corcoran found evidence of a possible circular revetment. Photographs indicate what look like a stretch of rough revetment, under 1 m in height composed ,an quitf do e small blocks adjacene .Th t cair composes ni usuae th f dlo slabs therd an e does some seeb mo et radial pitching toward revetmente sth . Further stretche thif so s putative circular revetment were reveale narron di w trenche frog north-wese smdu th t e edgth f eo cairn between approximately 42m 44mNd N an betwee d an , n approximately 36m 38mNd Nan . Remains of a long cairn revetment, standing at least five courses (c 0.4 m high) can be clearly seen in photographs buils i t I .t with long, relatively thin slabs, simila thoso t r e used elsewhere th n ei long cairn revetments. furtheLyinm 9 frog0. n i routee som o t m th 8 er0. fac thif eo s revetmens ti what appears to be a second one. It was standing to a height of just under 1 m, and was composed of at least six courses of rather short, thick blocks, very similar in appearance to the circular revetment around chamber A. When these features were plotted, it could be seen that the outer revetment was beginning to curve outwards, and that the 1.7 m length of the revetment was distinctly curved (illu absence s th 3) n I .evidencf eo contrarye th o et writee th ,assumes rha d that innee th r revetment described here canno lone pare th g tb f cairto n revetment intr fa o t lie.o I sto 140 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

the cairn to line up with the known course of even the inner revetment. This being so, it is certainly possible that it is part of a circular revetment around chamber B.

THE LONG CAIRN One of the main aims of the present writer's excavation was to ascertain if there were any further chambers in the tail of the long cairn. The mounding of the cairn over the two known chambers continuatios it d an thres na e more mound clearls si y indicate Anderson'n di 19th-centurd smi y woodcut and, less obviousl t stilybu l distinctly Inventorye th n i , photograph (RCAHMS 1911, pi LVIII) and later photographs (illus 2). The mounding of the cairn, taken with the presence of a number of apparently earthfast orthostats immediately behind the south-west facade, was at least indicative of the possibility of a further chamber or chambers. Corcoran investigated two arrangements of orthostats and other stones within the cairn but neither appeared to be a further chamber. One area where Corcoran was fairly certain he had found an additional chamber was immediately behind the south-west facade, opening from the south-eas cairne t th describesidd f an e,o s beinda g ova plan constructed o l nan d entirelf yo orthostats (Corcoran 1971, 52-3) suggestioe Th . thira f no d chamber bega appeao nt e th n i r literature (Bramman 1972, 103; 1976 : subsequentl6 , y correcte Bramman di t alne 1982, 6-7; Masters 1989, 38). In 1976, the present writer re-opened and extended Corcoran's cuttings in the south-west forecourt, and demonstrated that Corcoran's possible chamber and entrance blocking could more plausibly be interpreted as collapsed revetment and cairn construction, partly associated with a rough revetment of near vertical, large slabs, built to take cairn pressure off the putative dry-stone south-wes statee tb facadey d unequivocallma t I . y that, apart from chambers otheo n , rB chamberd an A s were built withi cairne nth . Apart fro mdozea n quartgranit2 2 d zean boulders, probably derived fro glaciae mth l till, th caire ecomposes th tai nf wa lo locae th f lSandstones d o Middl Re d eOl . Ther enormous ewa s variation in size, from quite small stones measuring 0.3 m by 0.3 m by 0.1 m, to some very large: weighind tonnesan 2 stone, o t m p 5 gu . s0. measuriny b m 1 1. gy b 1. 5m Although the cairn appeared at first sight to have been built in a haphazard way, some structural patterns of building could be made out. While there was no regular or continuous spine to the cairn at the basal level, there was a detectable tendency to build outwards from the longitudinal axis (illus 10). This manifested itself in the pitching and overlapping of slabs, particularly in levels above the basal course. The pitching of the stones varied from 30° to over 60°, and the long axes tended to be placed pointing down towards the edge of the cairn. Such a method of construction poses problems for the stability of any revetment which is not bonded into the cairn. Elsewhere in the cairn, it may be suspected that once a particularly large stone had been manoeuvred into position, other slabs were simply piled up around it. There were occasional vague lines of semi-upright large slabs running across the cairn. The most eviden thesf o t e occurre t lOmNda , where stonee somth f eo s were earthfas werr o t t leasea t restinpre-caire th n go n land surface moss i t i ; t likely that this designelins ewa preveno dt t cairn pressur dry-stone th n eo e south-west fa9ade. Other lines, which occurred between 13-14mN, 16mN, 26-27mN and 30mN, were not so clear: in many cases the vertical or near-vertical slabs were located in the upper part of the cairn, and did not penetrate to the pre-cairn land surface. These lines can in no way compare with regular gang divisions seen elsewhere. While no conclusive proof coul derivee db d fro excavatioe mth caire th n f presenne o alone th s i t i t, writer's opinio nbuils thasectionn wa i tt i t s from chambesouth-wese th o t rB t facade. Thi suggestes si d by the slightly radial pitching of the stones in the vicinity of the south-west arc of the putative MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 141

revetment foundation collapsed revetment

revetment 1 m

pre-cairn soil ILLUS 10 Partial cross-section of long cairn

circular revetment around chambe perhapd changee an , th rB y s b alignmen n si revetmene th f o t t south-easthe on t sidealsis significancoIt .of e that semi-uprighmanthe yof t slabs, which defined the transverse lines across the cairn, were tilted towards the north-east. It is suggested that these lines may mark the completion of a season's building activity, requiring no more than a roughly built 'revetment' to prevent collapse of the cairn. It will be argued below that the post-holes locate longitudinae th n do cair le als y axi indicatorth e onf b ma s o changef so alignmene th n si f to cairne th , brought abou buildiny tb sectionn gi s ove periora timef do .

Long cairn revetment extra-revetmentand As it is presently restored, the long cairn is retained by a double revetment throughout its north- singleasa y tb ehald revetmenfan south-wese th n i t t half, apart fro mshora t continuatioe th f no double revetment on the south-east side (illus 4). Where two revetments are present, the inner is higher than the outer and served as the main retainer of the cairn. By 1976 restoration of the cairn revetment south-ease th n o s t sidcomplets ewa poina south-wesm o et 7 t entrance th f o t o et chamber B and a further 5 m stretch had been restored towards the end of the cairn in Corcoran's cuttin north-wesge VIIIth n O . t side restoratio complets poinna wa horf o o t td neA froen e mth behind chambe , wherB r double eth e revetment disappeared intbulge oth f replaceeo d cairn material covering chamber B. For reasons which are advanced below, the writer considers that presene th t restoratio incorrecs ni north-wese th r tfo north-easte sidth n ei cairne t halth f f.o With thi mindn si resulte writer'e th ,th f so s 1976-80 excavation examinee sar d firstexperience Th . e gaine excavatinn di reconstructind gan f revetmeno g m ove 0 4 rthes i t n use consideo dt e th r results of Corcoran's excavation. 142 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

. 24E/24N

1 m ——« 20°-40°

—~ 40°-60°

—. 60°-80° « 80-90° ILLUS 11 Plan of collapsed long cairn revetment between 24mN and 26mN

e reasone presencth Th r fo f sextra-revetmen o e t have been frequently debated, with explanations ranging from deliberately placed masking stonework, platforms resulte th , cairf so n and/or revetment collapse combinatioa o t , f thesno e explanations. Where special effort might have been mad procuro et e suitable block r slabso revetmentr sfo s when exampler fo , , cairne sar largely compose f roundedo d boulders, such material shoul readile db y detectable e eveth f ni revetmen collapsedd ha t . Evet Canistea s na r Long, where stone similaf so r appearanc usee ear d bot cairr hfo n buildin revetmentd gan , foundations normally remai situn ni and lono s , thess ga e e disentangleb n ca d from overlying cairn collapse mechanicth d an e f revetmeno s t collapse understood, direct reconstruction of revetments is possible, particularly with such a suitable building material Caithness a s flagstones. As a major objective of this excavation was the reconstruction of the external appearance of the cairn, it was most important that both the height and appearance of the revetments should determinee b accuratels da possibles ya . Clearing cleanind an largf go e margin e areath n so f so the tail of the cairn revealed a relatively undisturbed profile from the top of the cairn to the edge MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 143

section line x-x' ILLUS 12 Elevation of standing section oflong cairn wall on north-west side between 22mN and 25mN

of the extra-revetment; there were no immediately obvious indications of any revetments, either single or double, apart from a stretch on the south-east side between the end of horn C and the alreade starth f o t y restored revetmen cuttinn ti g VIII. n ordeI o satisft r e twith yn aim f archaeologicao s l informatio d restorationan n o tw , strategies for excavation of the extra-revetment were attempted in 1976. The more successful was undertake smala n no l are extra-revetmenf ao south-ease th n o cairnte th tf ,o sid d e en nea e th r whic beed hha n left relatively undisturbe singla line f th eo cuttin n d i s e A revetmen . gX s wa t clearly visible, Corcoran having removed most of the surrounding extra-revetment, it was decided to replace the pitched and stacked stones of the extra-revetment directly onto the already visible foundations. Beginning wit firse hth t ston contacn ei t wit foundatione hth , each successive course excavates wa replaced dprecedine an th n do g one particularlt .no Whils wa t ei y difficul achievo t t e direca t estimat revetmenf eo t height interbeddine ,th coursef go mors swa e difficult. Nevertheless, this was possible in some cases when, as here, the revetment seemed to have collapsed as a complete unit. Thus reconstructed revetmene th , o n therd s an tewa m stoo heigha 7 0. o dt f o t indicatio secona f no d revetment eithe fronn ri behindr o t . This metho workinf do founs gwa o dt be most satisfactory for revetment reconstruction, and also had the merit of forcing consideration positioe oth f virtuallf no y every stone .smal o Wittw lr h o exceptions onle yon , this methos dwa adopted for the excavation of the remaining extra-revetment. An example of the detailed planning is given in illus 11, and an elevation drawing of the only standing section of the revetment in the caire th tai illuf n i lo s 12. So far revetmene ,th t reconstructio beed nha n undertaken over small stretches stils lwa t I . not known where the double revetment on either side of the cairn ceased, given that only a single revetment had been found at either side of the end of the cairn. It was, therefore, particularly importan establiso t h accuratel revetmene linth e f yth eo revetmentr o t s ove lons ra gstretca s ha possible. The area between 26mN and 33mN on the south-east side was crucial in covering the change fro mdoubla singla o et e revetment (illus 13). This sectio divorces nwa d fro alreade mth y restored north-east half of the cairn by an unrecorded area, probably dug in 1973. After the removal of loose surface stones, it became clear that the characteristic tilted stones of the extra- revetment lay further into the cairn than those visible to the south-west. The line of the inner revetmen firss wa t establishe removiny db g cairn material fro founs e mb wa o behindt d an , dit still standing to two or three courses in height (max height 0.36 m). As there were still a few slabs in contac situtn i wit e courseshth , these were slid back into position. Fortunatelye th , thid sha effec revealinf o t bottoe gth m course collapsee th f so d outer revetment whicho t o , againtw d ha , three courses more-or-less in situ, but only 0.15 m in height. The difference in height between the 144 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

ILLUS 13 South-east side of cairn between 20mN and 30mN including extra-revetment inner and outer revetment could then be seen as the product of the use of different shaped stones. Thos e innee th use r r fo drevetmen te usua werth f lo e fairly thic d light-colourean k d slabs encountered elsewhere in revetment reconstruction. In contrast, those used for the outer revetment were very much thinner, only some thickness20-3n i m 0 m ver d an ,y much darken ri colour. This selectiv stonef o e differenf esus o t appearance enable reconstructioe dth proceedo nt . The thicker, light-coloured stones were almost always found overlying the thinner, dark-coloured ones, so the former were first replaced on the inner revetment. While these stones were frequently not in direct contact with each other, their removal revealed that the thinner slabs were. These were then reconstructed onto the outer revetment. As with the previous section, most of the extra- revetment materia absorbes lwa reconstruction e th n di . effece thif Th o t s reconstructio produco t s n wa inne n ea r revetmen theigh n arouni m t8 d0. at 32mN, decreasing slightly to about 0.7 m at its termination at 28mN (illus 14). The outer revetment coul reconstructee db t 32ma t increasem N4 bu 0. o d t heigh n di t unti t reacheli m 9 d0. t 27mNa visuae Th . l effect ,innee thereforeth r r fo revetmen s wa , t wall, consistently higher than the inner on this side in the north-east half of the cairn, gradually to disappear behind the increasingly higher outer revetmen e visuat Th (illu . l 3) s effec s furthewa t r enhancee th y db different colours and thickness of the stones used. There was no positive archaeological evidence originae foth r l appearanc junctioe th f o e t 27.5mna N betwee e outenth r revetmens it d an t continuatio onle th ys nrevetmenta . There must have bee markena d visual contrast than i e , th t single revetment was built with thick, light-coloured slabs and blocks, whereas the outer revetment was composed of thinner, darker-coloured slabs. The difference in thickness suggests that it would not have been very practical to interleave the courses: accordingly, it has been MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 145

ILLUS 14 South-east side of cairn between 20mN and 30mN showing (left) reconstruction of single revetment and (right) partial reconstruction of inner and outer revetments; from south-east

restored as a butt joint. Some support for this might be given by a butt joint in the revetment, directly opposite on the north-west side of the cairn. The position of the foundation stones left no doubt that the outer revetment line was the one chosen for the continuation of the revetment to its termination with horn C. conclusioe Th n mus tha e extra-revetmene b t th t t aroun tai e Camstef dth o l re Lonb n gca interprete dremaine onlth s collapsea y a f so d revetmen r revetmentso t , with some additional stones resulting from the slumping of the outer edge of the cairn. Only a few artefacts were found unde revetmene th r t collaps t appreciabl thesno d e ean ear y differen thoso t t e found undee th r cairn. detailee Th d examinatio extra-revetmene th f no t aroun south-wese dth caire t halth f no f s enableha writee dth examino t r cairne e evidenc th rese th s provide f a th ,o t e r th efo y db photographs taken during Corcoran's excavations south-ease th r Fo . t side onle th , y poinf o t disagreement whic writee hth s wit presene ha rhth t restoratio shore th s nti stretc f outeho r revetment to horn B. From the north-east facade to the entrance to chamber A, there was considerable collapse but with sufficient evidence for a double revetment. Beyond the chamber A entrance, there was again considerable collapse for about 2 m, but there was then a stretch of about 3 m where the inner revetment was found still standing to perhaps its original height of just ove. Anothem 1 r r collapsed stretc thes wa n ovef ho followem junctioe r2 th o abouy t db n m 6 t 14 | 6SOCIET Y OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

ILLUS 15 Inner and outer revetments on south-east side between chambers A and B; from north-west wit entrance hth chambeo et wher, rB innee eth r revetmen stils lhigwa t standind m 1 han o t p gu threo witt p heu course outee th f rso revetment stil sitn li u (illu restoratiose 15)Th . innee th f rno revetment at a height of 1 m and of the outer revetment at a height between 0.3 and 0.35 m seems satisfactory on the basis of the photographs. The final appearance of a strongly built inner revetment and a less substantial outer revetment, perhaps more decorative than functional, is substantially in accord with the archaeological evidence. Corcoran noted that there was no bondin outee th f rgo wit innee hth r revetment. Thiconfirmes wa s whay b d t remainee th f do double revetment between 28mN and 33mN. For the north-west side, the picture is by no means so clear. As presently restored, it consists o doubla f e revetmen disappearancs it horf o o t d nA t en fro e mth e bulge int stare th of th f e o o t replaced cairn material behind chamber B, at 45mN (illus 4). The writer has even deeper reservations concernin outee gth r revetmen photographie th d horo an t , nA plad can n evidence may be interpreted to indicate that only a single revetment was built for half the distance between the north-eas presene t facadeth d tan disappearanc double th f eo e revetment int bulge oth f eo cairn material behind chamber B (illus 4). It was unfortunate that most of the excavation of the revetments in this section seem to have taken place in some haste during 1973; this may partly have been due to the placing of the fibreglass domes (effectively skylights) over chambers A and B, the positioning of which would have required clearance of the extra-revetment to allow access cranee fo writer'th re Th . s interpretatio evidence th f no thas ei t fro north-ease mth t facada r efo distance of about 8 m, there was only a single revetment, on the line presently taken by the MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED7 CAIR14 | N

restored inner revetment. Between 51mN and 53mN, the original revetment kinked out slightly fothed m2 r an ,n continued line th e n presentlo , y restoree taketh y nb d outer revetment, untit i l disappeared into the bulge of cairn material behind chamber B, at 45mN. A section of double revetment is clearly visible to the photographs, starting at 51mN and continuing to at least 44mN. The arguments against the present restoration may now be given. These must, perforce, be based only on photographs, a few comments in Corcoran's notebooks and the 1:100 site plan. onle Th y published recore 196th f 7do trench between 38m 41md Nan N (illu ) mentions4 a s double revetmen lone th tracego r n circulaa cair fo tf d so nan r revetment around chambeB r (Cruden 1967, 56). Nevertheless, when the approximate positions of the two revetments are plotted from photographs taken at the time of the excavation, the inner one appears to fall very close to the line of the circular revetment located in 1973 and is, in the writer's opinion, a continuation of it. In build it is similar to the circular revetment around chamber A. above Ith f e hypothesi accepteds si t stili , l leaves ope questioe nth f wheno double nth e revetment contracted to a single one. This would have to fall between 41mN and 45mN. Unfortunately, the 1973 photographic record is so poor here that it would be impossible to offer a single solution. Notwithstanding what appears to be a slight outward kink to the inner revetment at 43mN, the writer would suggest that the inner long cairn revetment may have stoppe about da t that point, wit outee hth r revetment continuin onle th ys glona g cairn revetment south-wes e cairne th th o f t .o Thid en ts woul consistene db t wit situatioe hth south-ease th n no t side s wel a ,s wit a e situatiol hth e north-wes th n no t side between 50m d 52mNNan . Other hypotheses could easily be advanced: the inner long cairn revetment could have continued and abutte circulae dth r revetment might i r o , t really have kinked outward t 43msa becomNo t e eth only long cairn revetment, wit outee merginresolvinf he th o ron w no ggy wit wa . Ther hit o n s ei these dilemma perhaps i t i d wels sa an l tha uncertaintiee tth hidde e presene sar th y nb t 'bulgen i ' cairn material.

NORTH-EASE TH T FORECOURT restoredw no s maie A th , n feature thif so s area compris eshalloa w forecourt area, formerly filled with stones, defined by a low platform and short, stepped horns. An unbroken dry-stone facade buils wa t roughly parallel wit behind han platfore dth m 17)(illu& 6 .1 s Apart from Anderson's initial excavation and some temporary preservation measures taken by the former MoPBW in 1967-8, the excavation and subsequent restoration was entirely the work of Corcoran in 1971. Anderson (1869a, 221-2) describes how, following precedent established by his and Shearer's work at the South Yarrows long cairns, they drove 'an opening on the level of the ground a considerable way into the mass of the cairn, directly in the centre between the horns'. The expected yha finentranco de t dth passaga o et e but, instead, encountere outen da r dry-stone wall, built to a height of 5-6 ft (1.52-1.83 m) (Anderson 1869a, 222) or alternatively 7 ft (2.13 m) (Anderson 1868, 491). Surmising that this outer wall may have been a later addition, they broke through it and found an inner wall, running parallel with the outer, at a distance of 3\ ft (1.07 m) behind it. Photographs of the fa9ade taken during Corcoran's excavation clearly show a major disturbance in the centre (illus 17). Assuming this to be Anderson's trench, it was about 4 m wide at the top and 2 m wide at a level just above the platform. It is debatable whether Anderson's grounde leve'oe g th ntrencth f du o lther s s a ' hwa e majoo appearn e b r disturbanco st e th f eo stones in the forecourt, apart from a small area immediately in front of the platform. There is also 148 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

ILLUS 16 Plan of north-east forecourt and blocking

ILLUS 17 North-east forecourt with blocking in situ; from north-east

some difficulty in reconciling Anderson's account of an inner wall with the results from Corcoran's excavation (below). Despit considerable eth e disturbancfacade th f o e centres coulp it to n ee i d th , stil seee lb o nt rise in a smooth curve from the side revetments. The space between the horns was filled with slabs, generally tilted wit lone hth g axes perpendicula platfore linth e f th eo facade d o mrt an . This uniformit s brokee areawa th y n si n immediately adjacen e inneth re o hornst tth face f o s, particularly horn B, where the tilt of the stones ran parallel with the splayed line of the horns (illusl6&17). Remova stonee centrae th th f n o lsi forecourle areth f ao t suggeste Corcorao dt n that they represented a forecourt blocking, extending outwards from the outer edge of the platform for an averag casey t waseI an . ,distanc n producunlikele i ,m collapsedy 6 th e 2. an b f f eo o to y t structure as, apart from the disturbed central area, the facade was still standing. Many of the stones appear havo t e been tilte t angleda betwee f 60°sd tiltino e an th , ° gn 30 becomin g more pronouncee th s da oute rplatfore edgth f approachedes o mwa . Indeed, adjacen platforme th o t t numbea , verticaf ro l stones was recorded. The situation adjacent to the inner faces of the horns was, however, much more complicated. From his site notebook, Corcoran appears to have considered the possibility of low walls immediately in front of the inner sides of horns A and B. Particularly with regard to forecoure horth , nB t blocking too kdifferena t line wit stonee hth s being tilted parallel wite hth platfor curvind man g roun folloo dinnet e th line hornwf e rth eo facth f d ,eo betweean m 6 n0. 0.8 m in from it. The space between the blocking and the horn was not recorded in detail, but MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED9 CAIR14 N

Corcoran though waltbee d w tha lo ha lhor ne ta angle builn th mid-wa o a nf t t o a t p , froti e ymth alon secone gth d foundation platformbloce th absence f ko th n I .plan f e o photographs d san e th , evidence for this feature can not be conclusively demonstrated. Nevertheless, a similar feature reconstructes wa horr dfo whichevidencne A th n o , e available, looks even less certain. It is, unfortunately, not always clear from the finds record whether artefacts actually occurred within the forecourt blocking or on the underlying ground surface: the vast majority do, however, seem to have come from the latter context. A few pieces of flint were found, including sid o scraped etw en scrapers d n a an r . f potterRatheo y founs ywa wa r e dmor th includin n ei g three (unfortunately undiagnostic) sherds from within the forecourt blocking. Analysis of the pottery suggests that sherds from at least five pots were present in the forecourt area (Henshall, below). Vesses representei 2 P l ovey sherd0 db 10 r s includingy b , Canister Long standards, a large number of rims. The majority of the sherds were found centrally positione forecourte th n di , platfore closth o eprobablt d man association yi n wit burne hth t area mentioned, but not defined, in Corcoran's site notebook. In contrast, P3 is represented by only sherds eithem o t ri e o forecourre on , tw sidth f e o oved an mtr 9 apart. Wit exceptioe hth e on f no sherd, the assemblage of 25 sherds for P5 all came from the vicinity of horn A: the exception, whic positivels hi y associate joina y db , came fro south-ease mth forecourte t sidth f eo singlA . e rim sherd, which came from exactly the same location as the exceptional sherd in P5, is all that coul identifiee db d with PI2 associate e fragmen ;a b sher tha l m n al ri ts ca da i f o dt with P. I3 Two decorated stones were recovered from the forecourt blocking. The first, located at the oute rblockine edg verticalth 6 f 2 e o s g ha near o , r vertical incised lines alon edgee othee gon Th . r was t seemsi , , recovered fro spoie mth l hea t presumablpbu y came fro blockinge t ma th s ha t I . least 46 similarly incised lines, but has been damaged near the centre. The removal of the forecourt blocking laid bare the front edge of a low platform, built about 1.5 m out from the fa9ade at its junction with horn A, but only 1 m in the corresponding position with horn B. The platform survived to a height of no more than 0.6 m. Unfortunately, photographie th c recor unusualls di y deficient; details, therefore abstractee b ,o t hav d eha d from photographs taken with the forecourt blocking in situ and during restoration. The platform was clearly built on substantial foundation blocks, the stones in the centre smaller than those to either side. The rest of the height of the platform is made up of several course thif so n slabs ther d havy an , ema e been some surviving trace largef so r slabp sto usea s da surface. The platform was not bonded into the facade behind. The ends of the platform curved out to form the short horns, which define the forecourt area givin maximua t gi m depta widtd h an f 16. h, whico 5m h varied frosouth-ease mth t a 1. 6m t end to 2.10 m at the north-west end (illus 27). As presently reconstructed, the top of the platform sweep eitheo t t rs ou surfac p sidhornse to foro eth t e f meth o . Three steps then descen foro dt m d foue middl f horf an horTh o ro , . stepnd A d neB en en steforo st e f e s hor pi o mth th nA continued roun walw forlo lo d t withi e mth forecoure nth t are outee ath andhorne n r o facth , f ,eo presene th t low, outer revetmen lone t walth gf o cairnl e samTh . e function fulfillee e ar sth y b d first step down from the platform in the case of horn B. Without the steps, horn B, the only one measurewhice b n hca d lengtwit n accuracyi y han m h4 fro2. junctios s i ,m it n wit outee hth r edge fa?adee ofth . Wit deference hdu anythino et g whic havy hema bee Corcoran'n i se tim e minth f th e o t da excavation t subsequentl whicd no s an , hwa y recorde site eth notebookn di , plan photographsr so , the writer is unable to agree with the restoration of the steps and low, outer revetment wall on the information available to him. On the photographs of both horns, although not covering every stag excavationf eo evidenco n e writee se stepsr th , n e fo stone e rca th ; s lying beyon ende dth f so 150 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

the horns look no different to those in the forecourt blocking. Above the foundation blocks of the inner face of the horn, the courses of dry-stone building of the platform curve round to the end of the horn. Again, ther indicatioy e doean seet e b s no m stepso f t n o . r reasonFo s already argued above t seemi , s unlikely tha north-wese th t caire t sidth nf eo was bounde doubla y db e revetment throughou north-ease th t t half. This brings into dispute eth low revetmen outee th rn o tedg horf ededucee o . Whab nA n ca t d from both photographd san plans suggests that there was no outer revetment to this horn. The final element in the north-east forecourt is the dry-stone facade. Andersen's excavation in the centre has already been described. Nevertheless, the rest of the facade remained in a remarkably good stat preservationf eo , although subjec somo t e slumpin coursee o t th f d go san collapse in the vicinity of Andersen's trench. Built with the long axes of the slabs placed parallel with the face of the facade, it included some quite long and thick stones, up to 0.9 m in length. effece Th t seem havo st e bee produco nt facadee th esmoot a f o , p reflectinhto curve th e o egt th profilcairne th f .eo Some large slabs, which formecoursp left-hane to th e f eo dth de th sid f eo fa?ade (when viewed from the forecourt), may have acted as a coping. The maximum surviving heighfacade th f o te platforme woulth f o d p abouabovseee m :b to 5 thimo e t 1. etth s would give a maximum height of around 2 m to the left of Andersen's trench. If the curve to the top of the fa?ade continued maximue th , m height above ground centre leveth t a el would have been about 2.5 m. This would be a little higher than the maximum height of 7 ft (2.13 m) given by Anderson strongle (1868b y ,ma y 491)t i suspecte t ,bu d that Anderso t measurinno s nwa g from ground level s totaIt . l length, measured e innefro e faceth m th f r o s revetments . Althougm 7 1 s i ,h describe straights da t strictl, thino s si y truecurvet i s a , s back slightly int caire oth t botna h ends. Corcoran records that the facade met the side revetment (presumably the inner one) at right- angles on the south-east side, and that horn B appeared to be butt-jointed against it. No details were recorded of the relationship between platform and facade, but it does not look as if the former was bonded into the latter. Similarly, no details were recorded of the lower courses of the facade behind the platform. remarkable Th y fine stat preservatiof eo facade th f no e call somr sfo e comment, particularly as it can be assumed that it was standing complete at the time of Anderson's excavation. The facade was coursef ,o , subjec same th eo t cair n pressure which cause collapse dth muco s f f eho o the revetments. Anderson's account of finding a second wall behind and parallel to the facade may provide a clue. During rebuilding work on the north-west half of the facade, it was necessary removo t e cairn material from behind. Thi dons swa e aftef ro Corcorad en e sitlefth e d t enth ta ha the first season, but on a later visit he was told by the masons that there was a suggestion of an inner wall behin facadee dth furtheo N . r detail givene s ar t Corcora bu , n thought this mighe th e b t surviva originae th f o l l cair f chambeno . FroA r m wha writee th treconstrucn ca r t froe mth photographs t seemi , s unlikely thamasone th t s were workin depty an ho gt withi caire nth n ni proximity to the projected line of the round cairn revetment. It is, therefore, very tentatively suggested that there might have bee nseconda , perhaps rough-built, revetment behin facadee dth , which would have containe pressure dth caire th nf e o fro facade mth e itself f thiindeeI d . sdi d occur about 1m behind the facade, then it could well be Anderson's second wall. To summarize the writer's views on the present restoration of the north-west forecourt, ther littls ei e conclusive evidenc outee r th eithehorne ende fo th rd stepe th f th an s ro st sa revetment to horn A. There is a little more evidence for the continuation of the outer revetment to horn B but even here the position is uncertain. The restoration of low revetments between the platfore horne th end th d f san mo seems reasonabl curve vien eth i f we o forecour e taketh y nb t blocking t therbu , stils ei l doubwriter'e th n i t evidenc se basie minth th f availableso n w do eno . MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 151

Detailed stone-by-stone argument e presentear s e fulth l n archivi d e report lodgee th n i d NMRS.

THE SOUTH-WEST FORECOURT It seems certain that Anderson never undertook any excavation work at the south-west end of the cairn. Nevertheless, he was able to indicate a double revetment at this end, mirroring the situation he found and excavated at the north-east end. This is significant in view of the denuded state of the south-west end encountered in the recent excavations. forecoure Th t area betwee beyond nan horne dcompletels th swa y filled with slabs, generally blockw fe a s d 19)(illu& an .8 , 1 sFro m) centre e m4 th th 0. f ey o b om f smal6 0. o lt sizp e(u platform e stoneth , s extended outward distanca , considerabl r m fo s5 f eo y further than that recorded by Corcoran for the north-east forecourt. Adjacent to the platform and horns, the stones were steeply pitched at angles between 60° and 80° and, against the edges of horns C and D there were a few vertical stones. It was noticeable that the stones nearest the platform and horns were thinner (less than 0.tha) 1m n those elsewhere angle Th .f pitchin eo stonee th f go s decreased with distance fro platfore mth hornsd man , unti distanca t a l arounf eo fro m m5 d1. these feature majorite sth stonee th f yo s were either horizonta tilter angln lo a t dea consistent with generae th groune l th fal f o l d surface stonee Th . s were more densel yfivo t packed ep layeru d an ,s thick, in proximity to the platform and horns; they were more widely spaced and only one or two layers thick toward extremitye sth strone Th . g implicatio tha s ni stonee th t s lying betweee nth horns and platform constitute a deliberately placed forecourt blocking, perhaps associated with some minimal collapse or deliberate destruction of dry-stone building from the top of the platform foundation blocks. e remova e forecourTh th f o l t blocking reveale da subsoil which varie coloun di r from yellow to brown. It was particularly variable beneath the outer edge of the forecourt stones at the interface with the encroaching peat cover. Some of the stones lying on the extremity of the forecour peatn i r o y t n soilwero t . ese Thi s would indicate post-Neolithic activityn , o som t i f eo the south-east side of comparatively recent date as the stones overlay peaty soil, up to 200 mm thick. Within the forecourt there were two features: a centrally positioned burnt area adjacent to platfore edge th smal a th f e o d t undemlpi an north-wese rth blockine t halth f fo g (both have been discussed above). Ther esmal w werfe la e findse potterTh . y consiste f mostlo d y small, undiagnostic sherds which, with the exception of one sherd which was between stones of the blocking, all came from below the forecourt blocking. The only diagnostic sherds belong to Vessel P21 (Henshall, below). Of the flaked stone, there was one end scraper of chalcedony and a nodule of the same substance. The rest consisted of flakes and two retouched pieces of flint (cat nos 437-45). The forecourt measured 8.5 m wide between the inner ends of the horns and only 1.6 m in depth (illus 18 & 20). The outline, as defined by the foundation blocks of the horns and platform, ran from gently concave along the inner edge of horn D to fairly straight along the centre, but with a sharper angle join for the inner edge of horn C. The foundation blocks were variable in size, but generally large, ranging in length from 0.5 m to 1.4 m, and up to 0.5 m in thickness. The dry-stone wallin tilted gha d forwar thao ds t partialli t y overhun forecoure gth t blocking, which provide furthesa r indication tha stonee forecoure th tth n si t wer deliberatea e blockint no d gan collapse. 152 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

+28E/02N 5 m

ILLU 8 SPla1 basaf no l laye cairf ro n between 02m 21mNd Nan , extra-revetmen south-wesd tan t forecour blockind an t g

innee outed Th ran r edge werD hornf d seo similarlan sC y define largy db e blocks, although littla e smaller than thos platforme useth horf r o dwerfo d nC en . e e Onl ther th course o t ya e tw s of blocks spacee Th . s betwee foundatioe nth n blockhorne th f so were filled with small slabs, blocks and rounded stones. So defined, the inner faces of both horns are just under 2 m in length. Ther s absolutelwa e o indication y n whatsoeve y steppean f o dr constructio e kinth df o n reconstructe e north-easth n di t forecourt e horn e endth preseno f Th d s.o s e interestinon t g architectural feature. When viewed fro south-wese mth t beyon forecourte dth foundatioe th , n block of horn D and the upper block of horn C are both inclined upwards from the forecourt to the outer edge. This produces quite a pleasing effect and seems to have been a deliberate feature.

154 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

outee Th rt slightl hornedgee se th lon e e t frof slinth ar o e y ou g m f th ecairo n revetment. Apart from this, there does not appear to have been any break in construction. The space behind the platform foundation blocks was filled with loose rubble, scree, soil and some large block apparens slabsd wa san t I . t that there wer foundatione eth dry-stona f so e revetment running at an angle behind the platform, at a distance of 0.9 m at the south-east end north-wese th t a m 4 t 1. end d ,an measured fro outee mth platformre facth f eo t wil I .recalle e lb d that Anderson indicated a second wall in this position, but it would have been unlikely that he could have seen it in his day, if it had been in its condition as found in 1976. It is assumed that this is the foundation of a fa?ade, similar to that at the north-east end. It measures only 4.8 m in length and, whil roughls i t ei y parallel wit platfore hth south-eass it mn i t half north-wese th , t half curves away fro platfore mth m int caire oth n (illu couls a r detectese db fa 18) o S . d (the ares awa not completely examined as it was decided not to move the foundation blocks of the platform) the foundations consisted of quite thin slabs, no more than 0.2 m thick, on top of which there sevewero t p enu course dry-stonf so e walling, givin gmaximua m recoverable heigh jusf o t t over 0.6 m. Two small vertical stones seem to have been placed as buttresses for the fagade. The ground level rises fro outee mth rplatfor e edg th oute e f eo th m o rfa9adet e edgth f eo , makine gth latter just visible abov platforme eth facade backes Th . numbeea wa y db largf ro e vertical slabs, only two of which proved to be earth-fast. It was these slabs which were formerly considered to be a chamber but it is here suggested that they formed an irregular backing revetment to retain cairn pressure fro originalln ma y more substantial dry-stone fagade. An explanation for the disappearance of the fagade was readily available. Just over 10 m south-east of horn C was a circular sheepfold. This was demolished in 1985 and replaced with a north-easte th o t neaboue m w 0 t seemwriteon e .I 10 tth o st r more than likely tha stonee tth r sfo the sheepfold would be taken from the nearest convenient source: the end of the cairn. The sheepfol t showOrdnance no th s dn i n o e f 1871Surveo p , yalthougma h othervicinite th n si f yo Camster Long are. This indicate buils s thawa t t i aftet r Andersen's excavations thad e an ,th t facade might well have been clearly visibldays hi n .ei Even allowin r robbingg fo quits wa et i , clear that the foundations of the facade did not extend to the side revetments of the long cairn. At either end basae th , l stonecaire th nf so continue d uninterrupted throug hornse th o ht . This swa particularl ynorth-wese truth f eo t end, wher tiltee eth d base blocks preclude continuatioy dan n of the facade through to the long cairn revetment. There was just the suggestion that the facade might have turne t right-angleda s int north-wese caire th oth t na evidence t th end t s bu , ewa casany uncleae musin tr and hav e stoppe turnthe d. of withi m n0.7 Without direct evidence, the fagade has been restored, on the basis of the profile of the north-east fagade, to a height of 1.4 m above ground level at the centre.

CISTS smalo Tw l cists were found durin course excavatioe gth th f eo n (illu sfirst e 4) 1972n Th .i ,s wa , located on the longitudinal axis and just below the top of the cairn between chambers A and B. Corcoran gives few details, but it seems to have consisted of four slabs set vertically into the cairn, coveres wa capstonea d measuriny db an m . 5 Althougg0. internally b m t happearei 7 y0. d undisturbed containet i , d nothin t loosgbu e stone, probably flaked off fro underside mth e th f eo capstone. The second cist was located at the edge of the collapsed long cairn revetment on the south- east side, interestingly in a line perpendicular from the end of the inner revetment of the long cairn. It was poorly built and, although three of the side stones were still vertical, the fourth had MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED5 CAIR15 N

been displaced inwards at one end. Allowing for this displacement, the cist measured 0.32 m by 0.28 m internally. It was still partly covered by its capstone but this had evidently been displaced as it was resting in part on peaty soil. The cist had been set in a shallow pit, the upcast from which could be detected in two small mounds on the south-east side. The contents of the cist consisted of black humic soil at the top, shading to dark brown above a flat stone which formed the floor. There wer findo en s from tine withiyon cist e shernth tbu undiagnostif do c Neolithic potters ywa recovered from the backfill of the cist pit.

OUTLYING STONE BLOCK massivA e block weighind an , measurinm 9 excesgn i 1. tonnes 2 o t f slocateo s p gu ,wa d somm e4 beyond the edge of the long cairn revetment on the north-west side, and at the edge of the revetment collapse decides wa t I .raiso d t north-eas e eth thif o sd massiven t e stone, using block tackled an . Beneath, there appeare undisturben a e b o dt d soil profile .evidence o Thern s ewa n i , the form of a cut or pit, that the stone had once been erected. This still leaves open the question of why this massiv broughs ecaire wa bloc th t humai y nb o f wher t s I k i . t i is n t s eagencyi wa y wh , t usedno ? Perhaps this massive block represent a failurs f Neolithio e c effor creato t t e some spectacula e cairnr th featur e taif e moderth o ,l th jus n i s ea t n human effort involves it n di excavatio largelo t d nle y unspectacular results.

THE POTTERY Audre HenshalyS l

ASSEMBLAGE considerablA e quantit potterf yo founcours s e excavationse th y wa th n df i e o l al n ,i aboug k 5 t4. from 569 recorded findspots. This report was prepared in 1983 and revised in 1987. Mostly the potter scatteres pre-cairye wa th n do n surface belo structure wth beyond ean w fe limitss da it t bu , sherds came from the blocking of the south-west forecourt, and one tiny undiagnostic sherd from a cist pit. On the pre-cairn surface joining sherds were found some distance apart, and sherds of different pots were found together wouls A . expectede db joino n , s were found between sherds fro pre-caire mth n surfac blockingthose d th ean n ei whole Th . e assemblag appearance th s eha e o coherenfa t group. Unfortunately materiae th , vers li y fragmentary greatee th d ran , par t consists of small featureless body sherds cleas i t I pot.e r vere thath sl ar yal t incompletee b n ; ca onlo ytw reconstructed with confidenc anothed ean r with reasonable probabilit , yP14 (illuP2 : , PI)s21 . For the rest, the rim sherds are small and the angle and diameter generally uncertain, some pots being represented by only a single tiny distinctive sherd. In many cases the surface of the pottery bees ha n damaged. Difference profilm fabriri d n esi an c indicate tha least ta pot 0 presente t2 sar , probabld an y considerably more.

DESCRIPTION certais i t I n that fiv econcave potth d s weran e ) necke P7 carinatefouf s& o 6 r P , dP5 (PI, P2 , others suggest these were also (P4, P9, Pll & P17). One pot was certainly not carinated (P14). The necks of the carinated bowls seem to have been vertical or slightly everted (though in most cases the angle has been estimated), and there is only a slight change in the angle of the pot wall between the neck and the lower body. Of the surviving carinations, three are unemphasized, (PI, 156 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

P6 & P7), but two have added external fillets to form a prominent ridge (P2) or a ledge (P5), and likels ii t y that another (P4 treates same )wa th en di way bown .O ill-definel w Plo I d lugs have been forme appliey db d clay luge th , s being vertically perforated shere perforatione on dth n O . s uncertais i apartt m i t m 7 bu , 5 n e whethear r this spacing continued roun luge bowle th dth s r o , were arranged in pairs, or irregularly. It may be noted that on this bowl the walls become very thin below the carination. One sherd of pot Pll has a puzzling feature inside, the wall being thinned by cutting back sharply in a position which seems to have been just above a carination. Ther considerabla s ei e variatio formm ri n ,ni from simple rounde r slightldo y thickened flattened an d profiles (P7, P17, P9)P15& 6 thickeneo ,t P , d rolled forms (PI P14, P18& ,P8 4 )P , in one or two cases projecting in a graceful outward curve (P10, ?P19), or external flanges (P5, PI2 & PI3), one being particularly heavy (P3). The rim form of P2 with a wide internal flange is most unusual measurable .Th e internal diameter. s varmm 0 y30 fro o t mm aboum 0 t20 onle Th y decoration, wit possible hon e exception flutingy b s i , seee . b Thi nn acrossca e sth rims of four or five pots (PI, P6, P8, P9, ?P18). On another (P2) the rim bears similar but narrow interlocking grooves best describe s ripplingda anothed an , (P3m ri rs narro )ha w transverse grooves. On bowl PI there is faint fluting on the neck as well, and the vague slanting dimples on the neck of P2 may be an intentional feature. Sherd PI6 is exceptional in that it appears to have applien a d fillet just belo rime wunfortunats i th t ;i e tha moro tn e survive verifo st y that t thino s si curioua s local aberration. fabrice Th dar e mainld sar kan goof yo d quality, being hard, dense, with smal moderatr lo e amounts of fine grits. Pot 1 is of outstanding quality with a black highly burnished surface, and is notably thin belo carinatione wth . Trace burnishef so d surfaces surviv othen eo r pot, s (P2P8 , ,P3 P9, PI 8 & P19), but some, generally the less carefully formed, were left with the surface slip unburnished (P5, P6, P10, P14 & P17). A few pots are friable due to over gritting, but have a thick slip (P7 & P10). Two pots (P20 & P21) are exceptional in that some of the temper has decayed, leaving cavitie fabrice th n si . Building join sometimen sca detectede sb , notabl2 P n yo where the fabric has consistently broken along these lines of weakness. Besides the outstanding quality of PI, pots P4 and PI 1 were thin and delicate, and most carefully made.

PROVENANCE The Canister pottery clearly belongs to the early Neolithic tradition termed 'Grimston/Lyles Hill' or 'Grimston receny b ' t writers (Smith 1974, 106-11 ScotG ;J t 1978, 56-60) norte d th hn an I . north-eas f Scotlano t o significand tw ther e ar e t assemblage f thio s s pottery, from Boghead (Henshall 1984) and Easterton of Roseisle, both in Moray (Henshall 1983, 19-24, 24-7; 1984); there is als osmallea r collectio f sherdno s from Midtow f Pitglassieno , Aberdeenshirea d an , group of very fragmentary sherds from Tulloch of Assery B in Caithness (Shepherd 1996; Corcoran 1966, 42-4; Henshall 1972, 310, 556-7). In general terms the ceramics from these sites have such obvious similarities tha regardee tb they y ma comprisins da gwell-definea d local style. All have produced hard black burnished sherds, much of it with fluting, together with some coarser and more friable fabrics. The forms are mainly carinated with everted or upright collars seene b n ) shalloca s a r wfa s bodies(a d t uncarinatean bu , d bowl alse sar o present range Th .f eo profilem ri s almost exactly match thos t Camsterea . Other sherd sregardee b whic y hma s da belongin thio gt s style have come from scattere diversd dan enorth-easte siteth n si , some being stray finds, some from cairns which either have not yet been fully published or properly investigated (Henshall 1983, 28-30, 37-43). MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED7 CAIR15 | N

The pottery from Tulloch of Assery B was recovered from beneath a passage-grave 27 km north-wes Camsterf to pottere .Th y includes fluted bowls, both slac emphasized kan d carinations, tind yan lugs. Ther alse ear o feature t founsno t Camsteda r suc internas ha l flutinheava d gyan lug from a straight-sided bowl, but considering the small number of distinctive sherds from Tulloch of Assery and Camster it would be unwise to stress these dissimilarities. singlA e fluted sherd founburiae th n di l deposi chambee th n ti t Tulacra t'Sionnaicn ha s hi e onlth y other acceptable exampl f thio e s pottery style fro ma Caithnes s chambered tomb (Henshall 1972, 551) sherde th ; s from Kenny' st closel Cairno e ynar comparable materiad an , l from other chambers excavated last century has been lost. fine-qualite Th y bowl Morao s frotw e myth sites differ from Camste thein ri r graceful open forms and extensive use of fluting on the neck and sometimes also below the carination and inside. Lugs are rare, and are larger than the slight protuberances on Camster PI. But the curious thinnin wale f severath o lf go l Easterton pots just abov jusr eo t belo carinatioe wth n mighe b t compared with similar feature Camsten o s rPlld Bogheae Pan ITh . d sherds were domestic debris partly found belo wcaira n (not chambered) thosd an , e from Easterto Roseislf no e came from two pits. featureo Tw t knowno s n amongs pottere th t y fro norte mnorth-easth d han f Scotlano t d are perforated lugs and internal rim flanges, as seen on Camster PI and P2. Lugs on carinated bowl unusuale sar , though therexampln a s ei t botea h Boghea Eastertond dan ; perforated lugf so kiny vere an dar y rar Scotlandn ei smal.A l carinated bowl with such lugwitd san h fluting across Clydfoune s th wa n edi m chamberi e th t Clettravalra , North Uist. This bowl (1B6) stands apart from the rest of the pottery in that chamber, which is typically Hebridean in form and decoration. The bowl came from above the lowest stratum in the chamber, but there had been disturbance in e areth a s founwherwa dt i e (Scott 1935, 494-7, 503; Henshall 1972, 308, 509). Another incomplete bowl even more closely resembling Camste Clydfounre s Pth wa I n dei chambet ra Cultoquhey, Perthshire (Henshall 1972, 306, 476). A third vessel with perforated lugs is represented by a sherd found on the old land surface beneath a barrow/cairn at Pitnacree, Perthshire havy ema beed an ,n associated wit paiha massivf ro e posts simila thoso rt e found with mortuary structures. The form of this pot is not known, but other sherds from the site are not particularly close to the pottery style under discussion, though certainly they belong to the Grimston/Lyles Hill tradition (Coles & Simpson 1965, 42, 44). Otherwise perforated lugs appear spasmodically at southern English early or middle Neolithic sites remote both geographically and stylistically fro northere mth n Scottish sites under consideration nearese .Th t parallel fore th m o st Camstef onlo d generaan n y i , rP2 norte lth terms Irelanf n hi o e Casg ,ar d(e e 1961 7,24)g fi , . The radiocarbon dates from Camster — three from the buried soil beneath the cairn and one from the south-west forecourt — can be associated with the pottery. When calibrated the dates centre round 3700 BC. There are radiocarbon dates from Boghead and Mid town of Pitglassie which calibrat arouno et same dth e time (Burl 1984 Shepher; 53 , d 1996). A single date from Pitnacree is a century or two later. All the Scottish pottery discussed above appears to be early in the local Neolithic sequence. The burial structures with which some of the pottery is apparently associated are varied, including passage-graves, Clyde chambered cairns, cairns without stone chambers, and a pair of free-standing wooden posts. This variet f contextyo emphasizes si extended dpitan e t th sa y db Easterto Roseislf othene o th d rnorth-ease siteean th n si t (liste Henshally db , 1983, 37-43)t I . cannot be proved that sherds underlying the cairns at Boghead, Pitnacree and Tulloch of Assery B were the products of the cairn builders, but the excavators considered this as probable. The association of the pottery with the cairn-builders is also probable at Camster. It is unfortunate 158 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

12 16

17 18 19 20

0______5cm

ILLU 1 S2 Potter conjecturaa s i A y( l reconstructio PIf no ) that only three of the sherds found in the area of the forecourt blocking only three are firmly recorded as coming from the blocking itself (nos 10, 34 & 35), and these are small undiagonostic sherds.

POTTERY CATALOGUE (ILLUS 21) * indicates the angle of the rim can be established. A stroke between finds numbers indicate sherde sth s join. PI (a)* Sherdcarinatiod an sm pota ri fro f e no m; th wid e fluting acros rime sth , faint neckflutine th n ;go the gentle carination slightly expanded by applied clay to form low ill-defined lugs which are perforated vertically, four perforations surviving (on one sherd 57 mm apart); fine gritless grey MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 159

fabric, highly burnishe outsided an d blacm ri , lightle k th sli n pyo burnished inside; internam ri l diameter about 200 mm, the distance from rim to carination not established; nos 643/854, 737/718, 1044/1171,1101/1284/1231,1230. sherm Ri d fro(b) *mver a y simila t exceprpo diametee th t abous ri t 150mm: possible th f same i yt th epo ri mirregulars i 1069/130s ;no 7 numbeA smalf ro ) (c l sherds fro rime mth , carinatio pot(se bodd th nan f yo ) represented an ) (a y db (b), or possibly some sherds from other similar pots; nos 653, 659, 687, 689, 690, 718, 733, 764, 840/902,849,939,956,1057,1116,1194,1195/1277,1202,1218,1230,1284. P2* Numerous sherds from the rim and body of a carinated bowl; rippling across the rim, vague slanting depressions on the neck perhaps intentional; black sandy fabric with white grits, the slipped surface much wor t tracenbu burnishingf so , breaks alon buildine gth g rings; internam ri l diameter 250 mm; nos 8,18,21,51. P3 Two small rim sherds distinguished by narrow fluting across the flange, the angle very uncertain; fine black fabric, one sherd with burnished surface, the other scorched brown; nos 13, 28. bodd an y m sherdRi ; gre 4 yP fabric tempee th , r including white grit browd san n mica, fine buff-grey surface damage th for 'carinatede s d th ;m wa an e sugges t appliebelom n a ri po e y e wb ' th tth d strip whic brokes hha n away; interna diametem ri l 758o n ; ,r als aboumm o0 possibl25 t fragmenm yri t 1153. 5 P Sherds fro rime mth , carinatio bodyd nan , probabl l fro ysame al mth e bowl; rather friable heavily gritted dark brown fabric; internal diameter at the carination about 200 mm; nos 18/49, 27, 35, 46. P6 Numerous sherds from the rim, neck, carination and body, probably all from one pot which varies somewhat in profile, the carination being slacker on some sherds and the neck less concave; wide flutes across the rim; hard fairly heavily gritted grey fabric, slip with tool marks outside, slip on the rim flange; nos 688, 698, 755/793, 758, 770/1096, 785, 792, 977, 1218,1219,1296,1313, 1316, 1409. P7(a) Rim sherd; unusually friable heavily gritted brown fabric, the temper including mica, slipped surface, breaks along building rings; internal rim diameter about 300 mm; no 917. ) (b Sherd fro carinatioe mth n angle, possibly fro same mth e pot 1140o ;n . P8 Rim sherd; faint fluting across the edge; black fabric with sparse white grits, burnished surface; no 3. sherdm ri somd o san P9(a e Tw tin)y body sherd probabll sal y fro same mth e pot; faint fluting acrose sth rim; fine hard brown-black fabric, remains of black burnished surface; nos 439, 449. sherm Ri d possibl ) (b y fro same mth e pot; horizontal tool marks outside innee th , r surface missingo ;n 1190; (a) and (b) drawn at different angles to indicate the range of possibilities. P10 Rim sherd; heavily gritted dark grey fabric, tool marks on the slipped surface; no 544. Also two tinfragmentm yri s possibly from this pot 470s ;no , 1303. (not illustrated) PI 1 Three sherds from the rim and concave neck, almost certainly of a carinated bowl; distinctive harsh black fabric with very small grits, trace f blacso k burnished slip; insid nece eth k sher ledgea s di , presumably from just abov missine eth g carination angle s 1156no ; , 1213, 1435. Als smalo otw l scorche sherdm dri s possibl thif yo s pot 728s ;no , 1431. P12 Rim sherd; rather soft dark grey fabric, slipped surface almost entirely flaked off; no 18. PI3 Three rim fragments possibly from the same pot which probably had a thin wide projecting flange; hard dark grey fabric including sparse whit 765, e grits21 ,s 838;no , 1020. PI4* Rim sherd from an uncarinated bowl; black fabric with small white grits and mica, fine slip outside; charred material adhering; internal rim diameter 170 mm; no 1371. sherdm Ri ; heavilP I5 y gritted black fabric, uneven surface 1077o n ; . PI6 Rim sherd which appears to have an applied fillet just below the edge outside; hard gritty grey- brown fabric; no 1104. sherdsm ri som d x an ,Si ePI bod7 y sherds l likelal , y froe t ob same mth e f thi i larg t s varieepo d somewhat in profile, concavity below the rim suggests it was carinated; distinctive harsh grey fabric with buff surface; nos 1087, 1091, 1136, 1137, 1196,1261, 1320. 16 | 0SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

PI 8 Rim sherd and fragment from inside the rim; probably fluted on the inner edge of the rim; fabric profild an t distinguishee similabu 7 1 o rt burnishey db d grey surface inside 542o ;n . sherdo Tw s fro angl e 9 mth P1 e betwee nec e projectind nth kan (thm egri profile probably similao t r 10); the fabric similar to 9 but much thinner, burnished inside; burnt material adhering; nos 560, 851. P20 Sherd from the inner edge of a rim: fine hard grey fabric; no 21. fragmenm Ri t 1 witP2 h outer surface missing wald an , l sherd; distinguishe extremele th y db y friable brown fabric similar to 10 but with random impressions (of vegetable matter?) on the outer surface, the wall sherd thinner than 10; no 1113. (not illustrated) P22 lowee Parth f rto wallround-basea f o d bowl; distinctive grey fabric, manlargee th f yo r grits having weathered out leaving cavities in the fabric and showing on the surface; nos 407, 408, 409. (not illustrated)

THE FLAKED STONE Caroline Wickham- Jones

INTRODUCTION The flaked stone assemblage from Canister Long cairn comprises 460 pieces. The majority is of flint, but quartzite, quartz, chalcedony, silicified sandstone and pitchstone are also present. Most of the assemblage was recovered from the old land surface beneath the cairn (PCS), other locations yielded small quantities of stone artefacts. This report was prepared in November 1982; detailea d catalogu lithicl al f archivegivee o s s i projec e th th n i f eo t record NMRSe th t sa .

RAW MATERIALS Wit exceptioe hth pitchstone th f no emateriale eacth f ho probabls swa y collected locallye Th . knappeflins wa t d from pebble nodules, availabl eithen ei r beac r riveho r gravels survivine Th . g corte characteristicalls xi y abrade mand dan y thermal flaw visible sar botn e i corte e th h th d xan inner material. The sizes of the flakes and cores suggest that few of these pebbles were large; they occurre severan di l distinctive colours into whic dividede assemblage b h th w t therno bu , n e eca wa evidenco sn preferentiae th r efo l selectio coloury an f no . fline Mucth tf hcontaino s many fossils which, together wit flawinge hth , must have affecte knappinge th d .othee Eacth f rho material presens si vern i t y small quantities, possibly representin knappine gth singlf go e nodules only. All, except for the pitchstone, could have been collected locally. The chalcedony is of fine quality, as is some of the quartz and quartzite. Only one flake of pitchstone was recovered (no 330). This must indicate long-distance transportation, probably from Arran t doei t t sno bu , necessarily mean direct movemen r eve o e tknappin th ne ston th n sitef o o usefueo g N . l informatio drawe b n nnca from suc hsingla e piece.

TECHNOLOG YPRIMAR: I Y KNAPPING PROCESSES e flinTh t alon s enougha e h pieces from whic o extract h t information abou e knappinth t g techniques used, so the following discussion will concentrate upon flint only. The existence of a core and debitage (for the purposes of this report debitage is denned as the small or irregular debris resulting from knapping) of chalcedony suggests that this material was also knapped on site. With the possible exception of the quartzite the sparse occurrence of the other lithic materials makes the on-site knapping of these stones doubtful. The information about the flint is taken MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED1 CAIR16 | N

from the PCS pieces only, as these form a unified collection, although the detachment characteristics of the rest of the pieces indicate that they were knapped similarly. Ten flin tassemblag S core presenPC e e sar th n i te (nos 5-1 13-15)1& . These demonstratf o e us e eth two major techniques of producing flakes, that of knapping from prepared platforms on platform cores (nos 5-13), and that of knapping directly onto a previous flake scar on scalar cores (nos 14-15). The use of platforms, both artificia naturald an l alss i , o indicate flakee many dseemb d th f an sy o hav o st e beee nth preferred method t generallI . y produce morsa e regular resul f scalao e t whilrus coree eth bettes si r only where the knapping of very irregular, flawed, or small nodules is concerned. The platforms were carefully maintained by trimming and, in some cases, faceting. platfore Mosth f o t m cores (nos 5-9) were worked fro msingla e platform althoug wito htw h double platforms exist (no11). & mosn I 0 s 1 t cases flakes were removed aroun e cor th e sid ef don o eonly . Exhaustion seems to have been dictated by size, once flakes of about 25mm in length could no longer be easily produced, althoug coreo chalcedonyf htw t leaso sa 4 td (5an ) were exhauste formatioe th y db a f no series of hinge fractures. The surviving detachment characteristics suggest the predominant use of direct soft hammer percussion with f har somo e d eus hammer knappine th s sa varies gwa suio dt t particular requirements. Ther slighs e i somf o e t eevidenc us indirec e th r efo t percussio 148 & s 134 somd 7 no )an ,14 g e n(e bipola r 203)& 8 knappine ,flakings th bot no d whicf hai g o pebblf (e n ,g o hca e nodules generaln I . coree th , s seem to have had a soft support, for example in the hand or upon the thigh. The presence of hinge terminations upon several flakes may be a result of these generally low-powered knapping techniques. A few of the flakes were found to be conjoining but there were not enough to add to the picture of the flaking techniques in use.

TECHNOLOGY II: SECONDARY KNAPPING PROCESSES Despite the disadvantages of knapping small pebbles of flawed, fossiliferous flint many regular and even blade-like flakes were produced. Many of these would be suitable for various tasks unaltered somn i t e bu ,case s secondary knappin necessarys gwa . Thi hav n aimso sca etw , used either separatel r together o yr mor o e ee altere b On edge. n o suit dca s t particular working specifications, or the whole shape of the blank can be changed. At Camster Long such work was carried out mainly on flint blanks; there is only one altered piece of other material (443) which is chalcedony. Although other methods of secondary work are possible, retouching onluseds ywa . Blanks were selecte suitabilite basia th n f do so theif yo r desire e shapsizd th ean r edfo tool. There is no evidence for selection by colour or particular type offtake (ie primary, secondary, inner). The typ f retouchineo sizee gdepth d flakee th wor an sth d f kan so varies wit requiree hth s dwa t effecti t bu , probably carried out by pressure work although some abrupt retouch on an anvil (Tixier 1980, 86), or even direct percussion work may also be present. Although the retouch varies between tool types those pieces from locations outwitrepresenS PC e same hth th t e traditio collectionS workinf no PC e th s g.a

Scrapers (nos 351-64, 411, 417-18, 434- 443) 6scraper& 1 Ther 2 24 )e (illu& ar e s2 2 swithi e th n assemblage sevend an S , includin froPC 4 1 e chalcedony,f mo th e gon , from elsewhere mosn I . t cases retouch bees ha n use alteo dt singla r e edge only, usuall distae yth originae l th end d ,an l blanshape th lefs f ki eo t unchanged. On two scrapers alone there is alteration besides that of the scraping edge (nos 417 & 443). The size and regularity of the retouch varies greatly according to the edge selected, in two cases inverse retouch uses wa d359) & (no 7 .s35 Fou thesf ro e single edge scrapers show further, unusual, alteration (nos 357, 361, 362 & 436). In each case the whole flake has been thinned by the removal of the dorsal surface so that the steep retouc truncates hi d acros toppossible s i sth t I . e that designethis swa produco dt eparticulaa r typf eo scrapewasto n t e bu rfro truncatioe mth identifieds nwa survivine Th . g retouc always hi s heavily undercut by macroscopic edge damag t couli d thae db ean t these wast e pieceth e e ar sfro mscrapea r rejuvenation process re-usable th , e piece whicf so h were used elsewhere. One, more conventional, scraper resharpening flak recoveres e364)wa o (n .S scrapere dFivth froPC f ee o mth s involve manufacture dth workinf eo g faces 162 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

upon more than one edge. Four of these (nos 351-4) reflect the pebble nature of the industry as predominantly primary flakes have been selected to make disc scrapers with little overall alteration. The fifth, however, involved shape as well as edge alteration as it has been laterally thinned and straightened (no 360).

Bifacially worked points (nos 365-8,41 448-99& ) (illu ) Fous22 r bifacially worked points were recovered, thred an oneS otherse froPC unfinisheo e additioyieldemn S th I .tw broked PC e e dan on n th dp nti points . On these the retouch has been used to alter the whole shape of the original blank, often so completely that the type of flake selected can no longer be identified. Where necessary, invasive retouch was used to thin the blank, but there are also instances where edge alteration only was needed (eg no 419). No attempt was made achievo t finea e retouce finisth o ht h whic oftes hi n quite irregular. Although their size varies greatle yth four complete points are all of a similar lozenge or kite-shape type and it seems likely that both the broken unfinisheo tw e th d d piecean p ti s represen same th t e type.

Beaked flakes (nos 369 & 370) (illus 25) Two beaked flakes exist, both from the PCS. In both cases abrupt edge retouch has been used along both right and left sides at the proximal end to emphasize a narrow 'beak'. This splays toward widsa e conve likels xi t distai yd tha blanke lan th t s were chose their nfo r natural shape. Althoug completee sizth e f hth eo d tools varies greatl y'beake thath f to ' itsel quits fi e comparable.

Microliths (nos 371-7 & 455) (illus 22) Eight microliths, of various types, were recovered. One, a trapezoidal piece, came from outsid cairne wesothee e th PCSe f th eTh th .o t o rt , seven awlso tw , , four microburins and one trapezoidal microlith came from the PCS. The retouch is always tiny and abrupt. In the case of the awls it has been used to prepare a working edge, with little alteration of the flake shape, but othee case th i nf th re o piecebees ha nt si use alteo dt flake rth e shape. Both awl made sar e upon fragments largeimpossiblf w o no whethers y i flakest sa i t o et bu r, these were accidentall r artificiallyo y broken. None microburine ofth trapezoidar so l microliths refit; eac bees hha n formed upo ndifferena t flake, althouge hth microburins probably represent the waste from the manufacture of pieces such as the trapezoidal microliths.

Other retouch (illus 25) In addition to the types outlined above there are eleven pieces with retouch. Five of these (nos 378-9 460, & 390 4 ) hav,44 e length retoucf so h alon edgee type g on retoucf Th .eo h used varies with the natural shape of the flake, which is never greatly altered. In one case (no 378), bifacial retouch was used anothen ,i 379)o r(n , inverse retouch. One piece stands out from the rest. This is the rod, no 460 (see Saville 1981, 10), where a blank much larger than any other piece in the assemblage has been used. The retouch is large and irregular. Although this may demonstrate the adaptation of the secondary knapping to the particular blank the piece is of a pale flint not readily visible elsewhere in the assemblage. Indeed, the presence of such a large blank is in itself unusual .coursef Whilo , is t ei , possible that large nodule flinf so t were collecte used dan d upon occasioe nth stratigraphic positio t besta , nis , doubtful (see below) thaassociatioo y s , an t n wit assemblagee hth must remain uncertain. The tool is abraded at both ends and would seem to have had its use altered, possibly to that of a strike-a-light, at some stage in its life. The retouch on the other six pieces is often sparse and coarse (nos 380-3, 445 & 453). In some cases unfinished tools may be present but breakage on all but one of the pieces (no 383) has obscured their interpretation.

Burin (no 404) (illus 25) One piece of secondary knapping remains, an inner flake that has been burinated by the removal of a long spall down the left side. MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED3 CAIR16 N

I

443 435

366 436 -«zzzz»

368

449 419

377 455 371 372

5 cm

ILLU 2 S2 Flake d stone objects | SOCIET 4 16 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

5 cm

ILLU 3 S2 Flake d stone objects MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 165

5 cm

ILLU 4 S2 Flake d stone objects 166 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

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ILLUS 25 Flaked stone objects MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN I 167

THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE ASSEMBLAGE The assemblage has two major components: knapping debris and completed tools. Amongst the debris occur cores, flakes (a few of which are conjoining), microburins and debitage. Although this does appeae wastb o t er from making tools e debitagth , e contain a surprisingls w lo y percentage of identifiable retouching flakes (21%). This most probably reflects the quality of the retouching work, however, which is generally irregular and would render many retouching flakes difficult to identify. The retouched pieces form ready examples of the tools produced by the knappers, but it must not be forgotten that unretouched flakes can also form efficient tools. As noted above, the knappers were producing fine, regular flakes, many of which should more probabl associatee yb d wit toole hth s rather than wit debrise hth assemblage Th . composes ei d predominantly of flint which is represented amongst both the waste and its end products. Other stones are represented mainly by debris, usually with a high percentage of debitage. Only in the quartzite casth f e o chalcedony d ean , however survivine th s ,i g evidenc suggestivl al t ea sitn o e f eo knapping. Tools of these materials, whether retouched or not, must have been used outwith the excavated area.

CONDITIOE TH ASSEMBLAGE TH F NO E reaco T presens hit t stat assemblage eth undergons eha e several post-depositional changed san there are also some pre-depositional alterations which should be examined. Six per cent of the assemblage is burnt. The majority of these pieces come from the PCS and most are debitage. They are distributed mainly in the north-east half of the excavated area, to the north-east of the central cluster. Within this area the distribution is random and would seem to reflect the chance association of pieces with fire and their subsequent scattering. Both of the burnt pieces from outwith the PCS come from belo blockine wth north-ease th f go t forecourt. Forty-tw assemblage cenr th of pe o t brokens ei . Thi higa s si h proportio resuly ma t d fronan m many causes but here it is likely that the pressures of the subsequent cairn material, both during and after construction, helped to increase its effect. Another important factor may be the use and consequent breakage of tools. Amongs brokee tth n pieces, however sho% w91 , lateral breakage, loosin botr o e h gendson this .A s iflake'sa s most vulnerable axi might si t argu pattera r efo naturaf no l breakage rather than breakago t e edu use, where other factors, such as the nature of the tool and manner of use, come into force. Support is lent to this view by the fact that 50% of the broken pieces are debitage. Edge damage is visible on many pieces. This has been divided into two types. The first is macroscopic edge damage, eviden lengths a t f tinyso , often stepped, scarring whicassemblagee th f ho appear% 12 . n so Thi oftes si n associated with retouche be.duy d edgema useo d esecone t san Th . randos di m edge damage, evident as tiny irregularly shaped scars which usually cut through any cortication or patination on the surface of the flint. This does not usually occur in such coherent lengths as the macroscopic edge damage. It is present on 12% of the pieces. Although it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two, random edge damage has not been noted by the present author to any extent upon other flaked stone assemblages. It is felt that it may be a result of the burial of the present pieces under a large amount of cairn debris. furtheA r possible weigh e effecth f cairf o t to n material upo assemblage nth recordeds ewa . e Thith s si existence of patches of extremely high gloss upon 20% of the flint. The glossy areas are irregularly shaped, often quite tind fragmentedan y . t Glosconfine no e highe s th i s o t dr spots t alsi , o occur cavitiesn i s , sometimes upon a single surface, sometimes more. Although it appears to sit upon the surface of the flint, microscopic examination reveals that it is, in fact, an alteration of the surface which is often so shear that the microscope tends to focus through it. In some cases an element of directionality is present in the form of gentle striations but generally the surface is quite smooth. There are no apparent instances of the pitted hollows produced in wind gloss. 168 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

Friction gloss such as this occurs upon flint artefacts from a variety of sites, often lacking the superimpositio heavf no y cair causee b n materialn mann dca i t i yd ways,an Canistet A . r Longe b som y ema produced by actual friction with the overlying stones but this cannot account for all of it as it is unlikely to produc sheae eth r surface often observed BradleR ,( y pers comm). Other possible causes recorded elsewhere include a very fine wind gloss or a silica gloss produced during deposition in vegetation, (Duff-Dunbar 1934; Shepherd 1972, 120-2). Unfortunately, such activity is as yet imperfectly understood but the gloss does have important implications for it may indicate the exposure of the assemblage for a period before the constructio cairne th f no . Finally, 51% of the assemblage is corticated and 40% is patinated, 12% is both corticated and patinated. In addition, many of the pieces have been affected by localized iron deposition. These conditions, however, are all post-depositional and would not have affected the assemblage when knapped. They occur t relate manconstruction e no o th e yo dt ar site cairnd e sth an f n.o

DISTRIBUTIO ASSEMBLAGE TH F NO E majorite assemblage Th th f yo piecee recoveres th t ewa s bu wer t randomlS deno PC fro e mth y spread across this area. Cores, microburins and debitage occurred in a cluster across the narrowes taie t parth l f areao t , together with flakese man areao th f yf higheo Tw .s o r density existed within this cluster, one to either side of the tail. The presence of most of the conjoining flakes at little distance from each other within these areas emphasized the nodality of the distribution. Outwith this main area a thin scatter covered most of the rest of the tail although very littls locatewa e d immediately behin e south-westh d t e south-wesforecourth o t r o f t o t chamber B. Within this scatter were found most of the retouched pieces and there was a much lower percentag debitagf eo emore thath en i densely clustered area. The distributions of the separate colours of flint were also plotted, but each colour is represented amongst bot knappine th h ge tool debrith thao s d fairla t an s y random sprea f individuado l colours occurred. Only amongst the yellow flint (colour 2) did a localized distribution occur in the south-east half of the central cluster. Fourteen per cent of the assemblage comes from locations outside the PCS. Each separate location has too few pieces to produce a meaningful distribution; a thin scatter is all that is present, particularly to either side of the long cairn revetment. Even within the more restricted areas of the two forecourts there are piecew fe provid o st o to e detailed information, althoug hconcentratioa activitf n o wese th tn yi hal eacf fo h are suggesteds ai . Generally, these pieces represen same th t e knapping traditio PCSe thaflins e th n a f to Th .t same th f eiso coloure d pebble nodule samthere d th san es ei presenc othef eo r supplementary materialse .Th retouched pieces also reflect those withi PCSe n th importane t ther ,on bu s ei t differenc compositioe th n ei n of this part of the assemblage. It has a much higher percentage of retouched pieces and a much lower percentage of debitage. Although cores are present, no area contains the same density of knapping debris as exists upo PCSe nth .

FUNCTIOE ASSEMBLAGTH E TH F NO E The assemblage appears to contain a number of tools, both retouched and otherwise. It is impossible, however, to draw definite functional information from individual pieces without a micro wear analysis macroscopie Th . c examination involved wit presene hth t stud revead ydi l developed sickl hopee eb gloso t d s s390)i tha & t upo i 9 fula to 9 s , nl s piecee somno th g f eo s(e scale microscopic examination migh possible tb futuree th n ei . MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 169

Material resulting from the manufacture of flaked stone tools t CamsteA r Lon evidence gth e suggests that flint knapping took plac siten eo , probablo tw n yi localized centre activityf s o eithe o t e ron , sidcentraa f eo l flint cluster concentratioe Th . coref no s and conjoining flakes within these areas, together with the localized distribution offtakes from a yellow nodule, suggest tha survivine tth g debitag moves eha d little. Flint knapping characteristic- ally produces large quantitie f wasteso , however somd an , e material mus missine b t g froe mth area proportioA . removae th o t thif n finishef o e o ls du wil e b ld elsewhere pieceus r sfo e butn ,i addition ,t possiblsievinno s gwa e during excavatio thao ns t although much tiny debitags ewa collected some, at least, will not have been recorded.

Material resulting of flaked use from the stone tools stonf o e dividee evidence us b tool e y Th th dsma r intepartsfo o otw , thatha d on-sitr tan fo t e eus for off-site use. On site, upon both the PCS and in other areas, there are a number of unretouched flakes with steep natural edges heavily undercut by macroscopic edge damage that is highly suggestive of their use as scrapers (nos 69, 113 & 252). In this context it is interesting to note that completee eacth f ho d kite-shaped point losd tips sha it t , althoug hmose thith s tsi vulnerable part. It is likely that some maintenance of working pieces took place outwith the main knapping areas and this may account for the small amount of debitage on site. Evidence for the rejuvenation of scraper s alreadha s y been suggested. Unfortunately , retouchee nonth f eo d pieces clusters enough to suggest specific activity areas. stonf o e eus tool e Th s outsid excavatee eth d are suggestes ai absence th y d b piecef eo s from the assemblage. The most notable of these are pieces of the other knapped materials. Only one retouched piece exists (no 443 of chalcedony) together with a few non-debitage flakes. Also, althoug quantitiee hth s presen smalle ar t analysin a ,flin e th tf debriso colouy sb r suggests that larger flakes as well as debitage are missing. This absence could be due to the removal of exhausted tool thert sbu littls ei e other evidenc cleanine th r e fo stonef go debris fro sitee mth t I . seems more likely that the area exploited by the tool users exceeded that of the excavations. It shoulforgottee b t dno n tha presene tth t assemblag draws ei n from excavations acrosse parth f o t cairn only. Finally, the presence of other lithic materials should be considered. These — quartz, pitchstone and silicified sandstone — are represented by a very few pieces only and although a cor silicifief eo d sandstone exists therotheo n s ei r evidence that they were worke siten do . These pieces may indicate the use of such stones to supplement the flint on occasion, but many other things could account for their presence on site. Collection as a rarity or for experiment, for example havy ema , taken place.

THE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE ASSEMBLAGE The continuity of knapping techniques and materials across the site suggests that the stratigraphical distinction between differen t forecouro location tw smalle b e y Th .t sma areas provid e onlth e y secure separation. Although seven pieces (nos 446-52) were found within chambe therB y include kite-shapedebitago tw e welth s ea s a ld point schambee andth s a ,s rha been examined upon several occasions, the possibility that excavation penetrated the underlying PCS must not be overlooked. Any association with the use of the chamber remains doubtful. | SOCIET 0 17 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

piec e verf o On s yei tenuous associatio 460)o n(n , being recovered fro backfile me th th f o l 1973 excavation trench. Material and technological reasons for its separation from the assemblage have been noted above.

THE CULTURAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE ASSEMBLAGE Scottisn I h prehistory style flinf so t knappin rarele gar y culturally diagnosti thes ca y were usually influenced mor incidentay eb l factor squalite sucth quantitd s ha materiay an w ra f yo l available. othef o e r us material e Th supplemeno st t flin sees a tt Camstena r Lon commos gi n upon many Scottish prehistoric sites examplr fo , e Morton, Fife (Coles 1971, 294-8) morphologe .Th e th f yo pieces produced, however, is often used to provide cultural and, by implication, chronological information. The relationship between the two is rarely straightforward though and, in addition, even morphology is subject to outside influences such as the raw material in use or the tasks for which pieces were designed. Such information must therefor usee eb d with care t Camste.A r Long there are a few pieces, however, that might be regarded as culturally diagnostic: the microliths, the scrapers and the kite-shaped points. Microlith commonle sar y regarde indication a s da f Mesolithino c activity upo nsitea s a , indee t Camstera e db they . yma The alsoy yma , however, represen maximizatioa t e th f o n usefulness of a weak resource. At Camster the size of many of the nodules locally available would make some microlithic working almost inevitable tine yTh . awls included amongst their number are present on other, later sites and must, no doubt, have formed efficient tools. The microburins may well reflect the manufacture of these awls although the two trapezoidal pieces are harder to envisage in a later context. In any case, the presence of microburins does indicate that microlithic knapping took place at Camster Long. As there is nothing else to suggest that this was in a Mesolithic contex t wouli t d seem likely tha t reflecti t e techniquesth f s o late e us r , probably including the manufacture of the trapezoidal pieces, although these could occur from a chance Mesolithic survival. Scrapers, of various types, occur in large numbers throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Themulti-purposa e yar e tootheid lan r particular shape edgd san e morpholog reflecy yma t many things, the most influential factor at Camster Long being the nature of the raw material, hence the appearance of the disc scrapers. Kite-shaped points, however, hav a more e restricted occurrence. The e includear y n di Green's discussio f leaf-shapeno d points (1980, vo , 74- 97)1 l& 5, wheret , althougno d di e hh cover Scotlan greay an tn di depth e concludeh , s that they ten o havdt a northere n British distribution and to be of a generally later Neolithic date. They are not common in Scottish chambered tombs although the associatee yar d with Irish court cairns suc Audleystows ha d nan Clontygora Larg Smalld ean , where they largee tenb o dt r tha presene nth t examples (ibid). Other funerary associations exist such as Ty Isaf, Calais Wold and Duggleby Howe (Green 1980, vol 1, 97), although it is important to note that there is no definite evidence to associate those from Camster Long wit funerare hth y chamber cairne th n s.i

CONCLUSIONS assemblage bule th f Th ko e represents activit ridge th en constructioy e o prio th o rt cairne th f n.o Unfortunately impossibls i t i , t presenea defino t t intervae th e l between this activit caird yan n construction, althoug presence hth frictiof eo n gloss upon piecee som indicatth y f eo sma e their exposur piecee th somr f efo so l were al time t e sam e recovereNo . th t e traditiobu S d froPC e nmth MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED1 CAIR17 | N

of stone f knappino e reflectes i us d gan d throughou tha o importance s t th t divisioy an f eo n into separate stratigraphical location doubtfuls si . Thi particularls si y important with regare th o dt pieces from chamber B. These are not securely stratified within the chamber and may result from collection from the underlying PCS. The activity involved may be divided into two parts. First of all, locally collected flint nodule f variouo s s colours were supplemente othery db , coarser stone d knappean s d inta o diverse tool kit. This took place withi restrictedna area acros highese th s ridgee t th par f .o t Secondly finishee ,th d tools, som thef eo m retouched, were remove used dan d elsewhere alone gth ridge, both within and outwith the area of excavation. Alongside this use a certain amount of tool maintenanc carries ewa d out existence .Th sicklf eo e gloss suggest nature sth tasksome f eo th f seo but it is impossible to examine the variety involved without a detailed microwear analysis. The surviving conditio piecee th f nso suggests that suc analysin ha s woul mose db t rewarding. As the formation of the assemblage was strongly influenced not only by the skills and desire materialknappere w th ra provid n f nature e so ca t th als th t i y s,f bu o eb o e little cultural information. Those pieces which migh e regardeb t s culturalla d y diagnostic sugges a latt e Neolithic/early Bronze Age date, although microlithic knapping techniques were also present. Finally interestins i t ,i noto g t effec e eth t upo assemblage nth burias it f eo l unde weighe rth t of cairn material. An unusually high number of pieces are broken and many have damaged edges. frictioSome th f eo n glos alsy accountee movemene osb ma th y b r dmateriaf fo to l above.

COARSE TH E STONE ASSEMBLAGE In addition to the flaked stone, five artefacts of coarse stone were recovered during the excavations (illus 26). These were collected from dispersed locations. Two (nos 462 & 465) show damage indicative of their use as hammer stones. One (no 463) has little damage but appears to have been artificially rounded 466othee & (no o th 4 )rd tw havs 46 ,an e slight area abrasiof so n which might suggest their use, no 464 as a rubbing stone and no 466 as an anvil. All could have been collected locally. Wit exceptiohthe 463nof , little artificial alteratio shapnof takeehas n place.

RESTORATIOE TH N CAIRE OFTH N Some details of the restoration work at Camster Long have already been given in the excavation sectio detailsthif e offeo n o t th res e s f d rth reportremaino t w soman ,d no ad t eI .o st comment s e ethicth f monumenn o so t restoration a principa s s thia , wa s l consideratio projece th f no t (illus 27). worMuce th f revetmen f ko h o t restoration during Corcoran's excavation seem havo st e been undertaken without previous archaeological reconstruction. This doe t see no smhav o t e affected the visual appearance of the two revetments on the south-east side, where sections of the revetment were, in any case, still standing and were probably consolidated in situ. The rest, however, seems to have been rebuilt using whatever foundation stones remained in place, and levelling up, using any convenient stones, to a predetermined height. The same process was probably adopted for the north-west side, but there is insufficient photographic evidence for a before-and-after comparison. The foundations of the horns, platform and facade of the north- east forecourt seem to have been treated in the same way as the south-west forecourt, the foundation being consolidate situ.uppen e di Th r courses were somn i , e cases originae th , l stones, but the present top surfaces of both platform and horns are completely modern. The two flat, thin slabs used as the steps for horn A appear to be those visible on excavation photographs; those 172 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

5cm

463

ILLUS 26 Coarse stone objects MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 173

used for horn B are not visible and their provenance is unknown. So far as the writer is aware, north-ease mosth f o t t fa9ad takes ewa n dow rebuiltd t diffenan sidee no o rTh . sd markedl n yi their appearance now from photographs taken during excavation; it was, of course, necessary to rebuild the centre without any possibility of direct reconstruction. The tops of the platforms, horns and the outer revetment — where two are present — have been covered with turf, partly to act as a preservation measure and partly 'to "mute" the over-hard certainty of the pavement [platform] and the wallhead' (Maclvor, pers comm). The latter point is important and is commente furthen do r below. The major problems for restoration were posed by the two chambers and their passages. Both were without their original roofing and, while the lintels covering part of the passage and chambe werrB e stil vern li y good condition passage ,th e lintel chambeo st werrA e most definitely not. For chamber A, the first 2 m of the passage, both walls and roof, are completely modern. Thereafter, the passage walls were consolidated in situ as far as the orthostats A and B. Trenches were dug behind the passage walls on both sides, and roughly built, mortared backing walls being raise supporo dt t them sevee Th . n roof lintels were retained, using metal rod supporo st d an t strengthen them. Abov lintelse eth falsa , e rooconstructes fwa d using reinforced concrete lintels, resting on the backing walls. In the chamber, orthostats 1,4 and 5 had to be restored to a vertical position: this seem havo st e been achieved with very little disturbanc corbellinge th o et onld an ,y minor additions seem to have been necessary to the top courses. It was originally intended to cove e chamberth r s with concrete domesa mor t ebu , convenient substitut s founwa en i d fibreglass domeso Tw . , equipped with roof-lights, were manufacture eventualld dan y transported Camstero t . They were then position transportei t pu nd usinan dg gacroscranea bo r e Fo s.th financial reasons same th ,usee ebotr b mouldfo o t h d chambersdha : while this works very well for chamber B (the chamber for which the mould was designed), the effect in chamber A is to create more space than it could ever have had. It also posed problems in reinstatement of the overlying cairn material, making the present height of the cairn slightly more than it was likely to have been originally. The large dome did, however, have the beneficial effect of solving part of the roofing problem ove innermose rth passagete parth f o t . Corcoran could hardly trac line f eth eo the passage from orthostats A and B to the chamber entrance between orthostats 1 and 5. Therefore, completel wallw yne s were built and, whil e north-ease th tha n o t t side probably follows fairly closely the line of the original passage, that on the other side was built off the presumed original line, increasing the passage width from an original 0.5 m or so to a little over effece th f leavin o td ha . edge Thi s g m th f orthosta eo sha 6 0. projectin1 t ge intth line f oth eo passage, for which of course there is really no evidence either way. With visitor access in mind, however, a passage of around 0.5 m wide could well have proved difficult for some individuals to negotiate. Chambe poseB r d fewer problems: e wallin mucpassage th th e f ho f th thad go f ean o t chambe goon i s d rconditionwa . Some rebuilding work took plac corbellin e 196n ei th o 7t g above orthosta betweed an 7 t nwits A orthostat h. 5 chambe d an , 3 sconcret A r e lintels were placed above the originals, and the fibreglass dome positioned on a foundation of engineering bricks. The outermost part of the passage, which Anderson described as being roughly arched over, is coverew no replacemeny db t stone lintels with concrete lintel snorth-eas e aboveth d an , t sids ei almost entirely a modern wall. doubo n e Therb t n tha visitoe ca tth r toda Camsteyn i wile lse r Lon gmonumena t whics hi strikingly impressive. The change from a tumbled mass of stones with vegetation growing up the edges to, it is hoped, a pristine monument complete with forecourts, revetments and chambers, coupled with a visually distinctive hummocky cairn profile, now forms a dramatic feature rising 174 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

ILLU 7 SNorth-eas2 t forecour entrancd an t chambeo et afterA r rebuilding; from north-east out of the bleak moorland landscape, although recent afforestation will soften this dramatic effect through timee writeTh . s convincei r e wisdo e decisionth th f o df m o y MoPBb s , it d Wan successors restoro t , externae eth l appearanc cairne practice th f Th e.o f conservineo g onle yth remains of those features surviving in situ would have led, at Canister, to a visual appearance more likel confuso yt e than instruc visitore tth . A hierarchy of reliability for the reconstruction work may be given for Camster Long. The restoration of the revetments in the south-west half of the cairn seems certain, providing that the interpretatio extra-revetmene th f no revetmens a t t collaps accepteds ei restoratioe Th . e th f no e north-eascentrth f o e t facade, although lacking direct evidenc a resul s f a Anderson'eo t s excavation s sureli , y legitimate, bot n termi h f whao s t remaine d whaan ds know i t f o n Anderson's excavation. The south-west facade is, however, a more difficult problem. Again, direct evidenc lackings plausiblea wa t bu , e explanatio sureln nca presenc e made yth b n eo f eo foundations strone th , g possibilit robbinf yo sheepfole th analogy r b gfo d dan y wit northe hth - east fapade. Restoration of the passages and chambers was a necessity if visitors were to gain access: such libertie havs sa e been taken hardly detract fro appreciatioe mth eithef no r specialist or visitor. Where more contentious features are suspected, such as the steps to the horns in the north-east forecourt, great care mus takee tb ensuro nt e that such features reall existd ydi . Unlike the revetments, there is obviously less opportunity for checking doubtful data. The covering of turf herwisa s ei e precaution against 'the overhard certaint reconstruction'e th f yo e turTh f. covering is, perhaps, not quite so appropriate on the platforms: there does appear to be some slight evidence for paving, and in any case, these surely formed two of the major dramatic foci of the cairn. e learnlessono b y Tw t ma sfro m thise firs s realli Th .t y self-eviden t perhapbu t s needs stating: restoration should only take place when ther goos ei d archaeologicale evidencTh . it r efo second is that restoration work should be undertaken only under continuous archaeological supervision requiremena , t which must override expedienc completioe th n yi elementf no e th f so MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 175

work. This is particularly important when it involves the removal of undisturbed material. Because of the time-tabling at Canister, this involved work on the revetments and in the cairn at times when Corcoran could not be present. From his notebook it is clear that this led to occasional difficultie establishinn si revetmene gth presence tth line d featurean ,f eo s withi cairne nth , sucs ha the putative round cairn revetmen chambeo t t . SucB r h working methode b o nowe t ar s i t ,i hoped, unthinkable. One point which did emerge from conversations with visitors to the excavation, from all ove worlde rtheith s ,wa r varying perception cairmuce stilw s th nf ho lhwa o originalf so . Thist ,i mus confessede b t , ranged fro m vervisitora w yfe thougho swh t tha fibreglase th t s domes were originae parth f to l structure thoso ,t woul o ewh d have liked some indicatio whaf originans o twa l and what was modern restoration in such features as the revetments and facades. Given the amoun reconstructionf o t , rebuildin consolidatiod gan t Camstena r Long, this woul difficule db t achieveo t . There might have bee ncasa distinguishinr efo perhap — som n gi y meaney wa s b f so a slate course — original from restored revetments and chamber walls. This would not have detracted from the visual appearance and, suitably indicated, would have satisfied those visitors who considered it important.

DISCUSSION t wil I obvioue b l s fro excavatioe mth n report tha imperfecn a t considerablo t t d recorle s dha e problem f interpretatioso n especiall more th r e yfo interestin g north-eas cairne t e th hal f Th .o f problems involve not only the interpretation of the site's history, but also its external appearance. presene Somth f eo t problems would doubto n , , have been resolve f Corcoradi lived nha o dt publish the work; and the present writer must admit that he himself may have created problems where none actually existed. With these caveat mindn si attemp n mada ,w no preseno et s i t a t pictur sequence th f eo eventf eo t Camstesa possibles i s ra Longr fa , o thiS . undertakes si e th n i same order as that adopted for the excavation report.

THE PRE-CAIRN SOIL The first indications of activity at Camster Long are provided by the evidence in the buried soil beneat e lon th e tai gf hth o lcairn . This comprise e potter e bulth th sflaked f ko yan d stone assemblages, together with a number of post-holes, possible post-holes, stake-holes and burnt areas. The three radiocarbon dates indicate that this activity took place in the early centuries of e fourtth h millenniu Despit. mBC a ecarefu l search o evidencn , s forthcominwa e y an r fo g indicatio f farminno g activity t wasI . , unfortunately t possiblno , e withi resourcee nth s available to undertake soil flotation for plant remains, so evidence may have been lost. Although found in the basal layer of the long cairn, a large granite saddle quern does hint at agricultural activities. Wha founs wa t d invites commen whetheo t s a t featuree rth smald san l find indicative ar s e of permanent settlement at one extreme, or temporary occupation at the other. It is quite clear featurevase e thath th tl d majorittal san smale th f lyo find s occurre ridgee th f ,o d p alonto e gth within the area later to be occupied by the tail of the cairn. Excavation well beyond the limits of collapsee th d revetments faile produco dt find y eved ean an sn unde collapsee th r d revetments, there were only a few finds of flaked stone. The flat top of the ridge could have provided perhaps e driesth t surfac immediate th n i e e localit r settlementyfo . Nevertheless, whe post-holese nth , possible post-hole stake-holed san considerede sar t provid, theno o yd e convincing evidencr efo domestic structures. Even including the possible post-holes, the distribution remains essentially 176 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

linear, confine narroa o dt w eventuae banth n do l centr cairne e stake th lin f Th e.o e holee sar more widely dispersed; despit smale eth l cluste nortringede d th post-holean f ho ro t 4 o t ,d an 3 s2, some extentburne th y tb , areas, there regulao appearn e b ro t sarrangemen t which coule db interpreted as a structure (illus 5). burninMuce th f ho alss gi o confine centre th o latede t linth rf eo cairn somn I . e casee sth burning has been quite intense, sufficient to alter the colour of the B horizon subsoil to either blac burn e redr ko Th . t areas are, however, quit convincint e irregulano e remaine ar th d s gra an s of permanent hearths. There was no indication of any kerbing to them and, while some were containe slighn di t hollow subsoile th n si , these hollows were probabl moro yn e than natural undulations. The occurrence of charcoal in what remained of the A horizon soils, and generally throughout the top surface of the B horizon, may represent nothing more than a general burning of the land surface; the burnt areas would then reflect intense local burning. suggestioe Th flakee th n di stone assemblage report that tools were manufactured within the excavatio producte nth aret bu a s taken elsewhere (Wickham-Jones, above) s anothei , r indicatio f temporarno y occupation. Thi reflectes si hige th hn di percentag f debitageo e when compare actuao dt l tools significana f I . t proportio flakee th f n do accountee stonb n s ea ca r dfo waste, the same explanation can hardly account for the large number of Neolithic pottery sherds. largA e proportio smalf o e lnar size, abrade featurelessd dan . Without further work, they cannot readil attributee yb minimue th poto d5 t 1 sf m o define d above (Henshall). Nevertheless,y ma t i be of some significance that the majority of the sherds which can be attributed to particular pots came from the area between 20mN and 28mN, falling within the densest concentration of post- holes and stake-holes. A deductio ndrawe whicb y nh ma fro m thi tha s sfeaturei e th t smald d ad san t l findno o sd significany an o t p u t long-term occupation t musI . rememberee b t d that unde ridge r halth ef fo was excavated thoroughly, but even from under those parts of the north-east half of the cairn where Corcora abls excavatno ewa t pre-caire th o et n land surface featureo n , smalr so l finds were found, apart from small finds from withi chamberse nth . Ther bees eha n tendencya , particularly when excavatio bees nha n restricte chambeo dt r forecourtd an assumo t , e that finds from thes featurese eth f areao d indicative e an ,s ar us e th f eo not ascribable to the sort of pre-cairn activity found at Camster Long. In such circumstances, finds from chamber belony sma pre-cairo gt n activity, unless ther speciae ear l features, sucs ha floor levels withi nchambera , above whic finde madee hth ar s . Mucsaie r b sam e dfo y h th ema forecourt areas findf : i confinee sar theso dt e areas, this needdemonstratee b o st excavatioy db n beneat cairne hth . Thus, some doub alreads tha y been expresse whetheo t s da finde potterrth f so y from flinte chambeth sd froan mrA chambe genuinele ar rB y chamber depositt simplno d ysan survivals from the pre-cairn land surface. It is not possible to resolve these doubts now. None of the forecourt finds from Camster Long would have been out of place with those made under the cairn. Nevertheless majorite potterth ,e th f yo y fro south-wese mth t forecour attributee b n ca t d to a single pot (P21) and came from close to the pit. This may indicate some activity after the constructio forecourte th f t cannoni o t bu separatee , b t stratigraphin do c evidence from activity beneath the cairn. Perhaps the large number of sherds, which comprise P2, may provide similar evidenc r forecourefo t activit north-ease th t ya t sherde endTh . s see mhavo t e been found close together, unlike the situation under the cairn where sherds were more widely distributed. Although both forecourts possessed centrally positioned burnt areas, whic woult hi temptine db g to associate with forecourt activity, the burnt areas along the spine of the ridge should not be forgotten. Because of the small size of the sample, the radiocarbon date obtained from charcoal MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN | 177

in the burnt area of the south-west forecourt is statistically indistinguishable at one sigma level from those obtained unde cairne rth . Returnin probleme th o gt s post-holee poseth y db stake-holesd san lineae th , r distribution formee th s alreadf o ha r y been commented upon. Perhap thin si s lie clua s theio et r possible purpose must I . admittee tb d tha traceo tn standinf so g post post-pipese s(i ) were detectee th n di excavation of the cairn. It would, in any case, have been a particularly difficult task, given the potential for the movement of stones within the cairn and the ubiquitous filling of scree and quartz grains. Within the limits of accuracy of planning of the basal course of the cairn, it is unlikely that any timbers in post-holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 or 7 could have been standing at the time of cairn construction thesr fo , e hole coveree sar d entirel parn i basa y r b tyo l cairn e stonesth r Fo . remaining two must i , t remai open na n questio whetheo t s na r posts were incorporated into cairn building. Ignorin obvioue gth s straight line betweepointso possibltw s i y t i , nan shoo et w that three group post-holef so colinearworte s i sar t i hd considerinan , extrapolatioe gth f thesno e lineo st the south-west forecourt (illus 5). The lines may be tabulated as follows: 1 Fro poina mo t t1 post-hol eventuasoute o t th 6 f ho o t e8 l centrforecoure th f eo t platform. 2 From post-hole 7 to 2 to 1 to a point central on the forecourt platform. 3 From post-hole 5 to 4 to 1 to a point central on the forecourt platform. Of the eight post-holes this leaves only one (no 3) unaccounted for. If the possible post-holes are included, two further lines may be added: 4 From h to 6 to 1 to just south of the platform centre. platforsoute o t th 5 f ho o t Fromc o centret m 7 . It can be suggested that the post-holes held posts employed in the laying out of the construction cairne taith e linef th lo . f Possiblso e extrapolatio linesuggestee s i th thi y n sf i n o s wa illudn i . s5 It is interesting that only one of the stake-holes (no 13) actually falls on any of the lines. The rest do not seem to have played any part in the laying out of the cairn, nor can they be taken as the gang divisions suggested for linear arrangements of stake- and post-holes beneath some long barrows in the south of England (Ashbee et al 1979, 228-75). Their purpose must, for the moment, remain undefined. e threTh e radiocarbon dates cluster particularly well together and, after calibration, indicate activit earliee th n yi fourte r halth f o fh millennium BC. Ther firo n m s e i evidenco t s ea what interva timf o l e elapsed betwee burnine npre-cairth e th f go n land buildine surfacth d ean g of the cairn. Two factors suggest a considerable time interval: the abraded condition of many of frictio e t sherdth po d e nsan th glos flakee th s f appearindo ston% 20 e n assemblagego f o , is t I . course, always possible that the sherds were 'imported' to the site in an already abraded condition; alss i t oi possibld an e tha frictioe th t n glos produces swa processey db t associatesno d with long exposur elementse th o e t genera e Th . l indication onlf so y temporary occupation burninr fo , f go groune th d explanatiosurfacee th d an , n post-holesofferee th r dfo l sugges writee al , th o rt t that greao n t interva f timo l e elapsed betwee burnine buildine nth th cairne th d thin f gan O g.o s hypothesis, long cairn building was underway in the second quarter of the fourth millennium BC.

THE CHAMBERED CAIRN Corcoran had been one of the main proponents of the hypothesis of multi-period development for some chambered tombs, the implication being that the builders of one part of a composite monumen havy tma e worked wit knowledgo hn developmentf eo s which subsequently took place 178 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

at the same site. Following the work of Powell (1973, 1-49) at Dyffryn Ardudwy (MER 3), Corcora demonstrato t s nwa e multi-period developmen numbea t a t f siteso r , most notabln yi Scotlan t Tulacda ' t Sionnaic n ha Glenirod hMi (CAo ntw T e cairn58)th d s, an (WIG 1,2) (Corcoran 1966, 1-75; 1969, 29-90). This evidence, together with that from other excavations and field work, has been reviewed by several authors (Corcoran 1972, 31-63; Henshall 1972, 198-286 passim; Masters 1983 Glenirod , Tulacd Mi 97-112) t an a tn s 'A h a a Sionnaich , If . , ther reliabls ei e evidenc closine th r f chamberefo go constructioe th d san f enclosinno g cairns, then it might be inferred that this evidence indicates multi-period development. However, enclosing revetments to chambers, for example, may not be indications of multi-period development if they are simply used as constructional devices to support chamber walls and roofs a songoinn para f o t g construction programme thin I . s cas t woulei more db e appropriato et describe this as 'multi-phased' development. With these thought mindn si possibl s i t i , preseno et pictura t developmenf eo t Camstea t r Long, in which the monument began as the simple polygonal chamber A with its short passage and round cairn. This could have been followed by the building of the more elaborate Canister- type chamber B and its probable enclosing revetment. The final stage would see the incorporation of these two monuments into the long cairn, with its forecourts and revetments. As continued access was required to the two chambers, it was necessary to lengthen the passages to both of them. The orientation of the long cairn would, on this basis, be largely dictated by the direction existine th f o g passages. Initially thiplausibla s si e interpretation t sombu , e modificatioe th o nt hypothesi suggestee b n sca incorporatiny db g chambe int B rlone oth g cairn period alss i t oI . possible that Camster singlLona s gewa period monument whicn i , circulae hth r revetments were merely constructional devices to support the chamber construction and the archaeological evidence interprete multi-phaseds da .

ChamberA wels a begio s lt i t I n with rouns chambeit d d an cairn rA thir bot,fo s s i mose hth t likely indicator of multi-period developmen e morth ed difficulan t interpreto t t e earlTh . y monument would compris polygonae eth l chamber wit shors hit t passage extendin orthostato g tw fro d e mth an sA B, which would mar entrancee more kth th r les eo d s an ,circula r cairn caire Th . n revetmens i t certainly substantial and there can be little doubt that it would have provided sufficient support for a free-standing monument. Corcoran may not have been able to section the revetment in the time available detailo appearance N .th f so revetmene th f eo t were recorded r whetheno , r there was a greater accumulation of scree at the base of the revetment. Such information could have aided an assessment of the interval of time between the building of the round and long cairns. Perhaps the most important piece of evidence available is that the revetment shows no sign of outward collapse. The round cairn seems to be built in the same way as the long, with the slabs angled down towards the revetment. In the case of the long cairn this appears to have led to early collaps revetmentthe eof , particularl cairn absencthe tai the lof .The y in collaps eof rounthe edin cairn indicatiorevetmenn a e b rapis y it f dno tma enclosure withi lon e writee nth th g s caira r , nor would prefe thinko rt indication ,a superios it f no r build quality. This seem havo st e been achieved by tonguing back some of the revetment stones into the cairn, thus producing a greater stability and resistance to collapse. putative Th e early entrance betweeorthostato tw e nth s could provid mose eth t telling evidence for there being multi-period construction, but it is here that there is some ambiguity with regard to the evidence. Situated as they are with their front edges in line with the round cairn MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 179

revetment, theplausibly yma consideree yb portas da l stones. However, ther probleme ear s with the apparent misalignment of the revetment, the fact that the orthostats (while parallel) are not opposite each other, and the roofing of the supposed later extension of the passage actually continuing into the round cairn, apparently without a break. The displacement of the revetment line, by as much as 0.6 m is clearly associated with the staggering of the two orthostats. Corcoran was able to section through the passage wall at its junction with the round cairn revetment and orthostat A. So far as the writer can see from the photographs, excavation on the other side did not go down to the pre-cairn land surface. It is just possible that the short stretch of revetment adjacent to orthostat B may only have been seen at a hig htrue level th basa e , linthith f :so i f les so i cours havy ema e lain further forward, allowinr gfo the batter to the revetment know elsewhere. This would not solve the problem of the staggered orthostats, but would go some way towards a more symmetrical entrance. More serious problems are encountered with the roofing. Lintels 6 and 7 above the supposed earlier passag e clearlar er otheo yorthostaty d B b rsupporte en d e an on A st a d respectively. This require existence sth innermose th f eo putativte parth f o t e later extensiof no passage north-ease th th n eo t least side a cair e r th to , n behin supporo t , dlinteit f otheo e d tth l ren 6. In the case of lintel 7, its other side appears to rest on cairn material within the round cairn. The implication of all this could be that the round cairn was no more than a constructional device supporo t chambere tth staggeree ;th d entrance would hardly matte intentioe th buil o s t ra s dnwa the passage to its full length and enclose it within the long cairn within a single, though multi- phased, building period. There is no evidence of a butt joint in the north-east side of the passage wall below the front edge of lintel 6, to allow this lintel to be supported without the presence of whole th e passage wall. t shoulI e remembereb d d that multi-period construction might involve demolitior o n renovation wels a ,additions a l orden I . sustaio rt multi-perioe nth d hypothesi chamber sfo t i , rA may be suggested that the roof over the entrance was remodelled at the time of long cairn construction provinf o y . Therwa g o thin s esi hypothesis fro excavatioe mth n archiv woult i d edan almost certainly have been difficult to detect in excavation. Acceptin ambiguite gth evidencee th f yo writee th , r still believes tha reasonablta e casy ema stilroun e made th lb r defo cair free-standina s na g monument unti incorporatios lit n int lone oth g cairn, necessitating the extension of the passage to allow continued access and resulting in the slight change in passage alignment.

Chamber B Less is known of the circumstances surrounding chamber B. The putative circular revetment has only been traced in two short stretches and cannot be demonstrated with total conviction. The passage does provide some indicatio possiblf no e multi-period development botn i , h roofind gan butt joints. In contrast with chamber A, the inner part of the passage to B is lintelled, while the outer 1.5 m, from the butt joints to the inner long cairn revetment was, according to Anderson (1868, 486), 'rudely arche overlappiny db g stones, instea f lintelled'do projectee Th . d coursf eo the circular revetment could meet the passage at the butt joints, from the evidence which has been provide excavationy db . Evidencrevetmene th rese f th o t r efo t might stil founde lb , particularly south-wese foth r t hal ft bee whicno ns excavatedhha t woulI . particularle db y interestin fino gt d out if that revetment had been subject to collapse. Unfortunately, what was exposed in 1967 and bace th chambef 197kt o bedeville a o 3s s i rB d with ambiguit t possiblyno thas i t drati o e t y wan 180 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1997

firm conclusions as to whether the revetment had collapsed or not. All that can be said is that there is some evidence that could imply either multi-period or multi-phased development.

The long cairn, forecourts and revetment Despite its initial promise, no further chambers were found in the long cairn. The lesson to be learnt, particularly for field work, is that apparently earth-fast orthostats are not always indicator f chamberso s . Corcora nd alread (1966ha ) y18 , shown this wit s excavatiohhi t a n Tulac t'Sionnaichn ha . Apart from some detail possiblf so e construction phases withi lone nth g cairn, the excavation of Canister Long was singularly unrewarding. More interesting were the changerevetmene linth e f th eo n si t which, when taken wit transverse hth e line f semi-uprighso t explanatioe th slab d san n post-holesofferee th r dfo , suggest scaire buils tha th taie nf wa n tth l o ti stages from north-east to south-west. It may well be that the builders had intended to terminate the cairn at the end of the double revetment at the south-east side, but some other factor came into play which cause note de situates i b thethe s a y d d r ymexten o en thama t did.fa d e t s I a tth t di just at the point where the ground begins to drop away to the valley of the Camster Burn. e monumentaTh l nature north-easth f o e t forecourt canno deniede b t : whethes wa t i r originally as it now appears is another matter. The writer has already argued above that the evidenc t horne convincing end e th r stepevidence no th f efo s th si o t doubls a a i r r efo no ,e revetment on the outer sides of the horns. The remainder of the restoration is based on sound evidence. Such a setting provides an obvious focus for ceremonies, the platform in fact acting as a wely stage thae double b lma th tt I . e revetment forecourtn i s f otheo s r Caithness chambered cairns might have had a similar feature. A good example could be provided by the east forecourt f Souto h Yarrows North, wher innee eth r wall stoo t (1.5 f hig) d5 m 2 h accordin Andersoo gt n (1866a,241). Whatever the Camster Long building sequence, it is quite probable that the side revetments collapsed quite early in the site's history. Nothing but a few pieces of flint were found under the revetment collapse and the final prehistoric events at Canister seem to have been the construction othee cairnsmale spinth o e th rd th tw f jusen lo e an , o o cists fth t e possiblon , int g edge yodu th e of the collapsed revetment on the south-east side. It is disappointing that the chambers were so singularly devoid of finds at the time of Anderson's excavations thad an ,t those mad Corcoran'n ei s re-examination cannot clearle yb associated with chambe absence r skeletath e use n th I .f eo l material recovere Andersony db s i t i , t possiblno offeexplanatioo ey t an r buriaf no l ritual. In writing this report the writer has been aware of the many gaps in the excavation record. This report has, therefore, been more speculative than would otherwise have been the case, if Corcora lived npublisha o dt worke par s concentratioth e hhi n ti .Th minutiae th n no Camstef eo r Lon bees inevitable gha nth e resul musd an t t apologie servth s ea thir afo s report. It is not proposed to discuss the wider relationships of Camster Long to the other chambered cairns of northern Scotland, for which there has been substantial previous publication (Henshall 1963, 1972; Davidso Henshaln& l 1991). absencNore th n i , records f eo anythinn ca , saie gb f do the relationshi f Camstepo r neas Lonit ro g t neighbou r Camster Round, other tha repeao nt t what has already been said regarding its structure. The plan of Camster Long is decidedly odd, even amongst the wide variety of plans exhibited among the Caithness cairns. The closest comparison could well turn out to be South Yarrows South, where there is good evidence for a passage opening from the south side of the cairn as well as a passage and chamber opening from the east forecourt (Davidso Henshaln& l 1991, 142-4). Excavation here coul rewardine db o gt MASTERS: CAMSTER LONG CHAMBERED CAIRN 181 decid passage th f ei e caire earliefron a side th ms f nth i eo r monument (perhaps encloses it n di own cairn), or an intrusive feature of later date (RCAHMS 1911, 173). concludingn I t seemi , s appropriat returworo e t th Josepf ko o nt h Anderson writinn I . g abou e Caithnesth t s cairns e commentedh , : 'Their uninviting e exteriorapparenth d an ,t magnitude of the undertaking, would seem to have deterred amateurs and scientific explorers alike from meddling with them.' (Anderson 1866a Canisten ,o 234)d An .r Long 'the great height of the cairn and the enormous labour of clearing out the chambers from the top . .. obliged us to content ourselves wit exploratioe hth thesf no chamberso etw were ,t stimulateandw eno s a , o dt further examination by finding a single relic in either, we did not try the lower part of the cairn, in which it is probable that there may be two or three more chambers still unexplored' (Anderson 1869a writere , 222)th r , Fo .bot h quotations have considerable significance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS largA e numbe peoplf o r e too kexcavatione parth n i t s from 197 1980o 6t woulI . d particularly lik thano et k Mike Yates acteo s assistanwh ,da t supervisor throughout d Davan , e Pollock, Campbell Provan, Mike Spearma Angeld nan a Yates acteo bots wh ,d a h volunteers and, later, site assistants. Amon volunteere gth manageo swh como dt e bac morr kfo e thaseasone non I , should particularly like to thank Claire Dean and the late Edna Durrell (who also worked during the 1971-3 seasons with John Corcoran), for taking charge of the small finds, and John Crawford, Wendy Edwards, Bridget Gerdes, Sheila Golightly, Anne Johnstone McCadamm Ji , , Hugh Richardson, John Robinson, Graham Shingleton, Kirsty Wood and Scott Wood for their invaluable excavatione worth n ki . Additional labou provides rwa localla y db y recruited work squad with Mark Chisholm as foreman and Kenny MacKenzie as mason. Neil Livingston, forme rdrawin e heath f do g Scottis e officth t a e h Development Department responsibls wa , r efo survee mucth f h o yproductio e chamberse worth th r n 1:2e kfo i th d 0 f nscalo an , ee plath f no foundation course of the revetment and facade in the south-west half of the cairn. I am very grateful to him for his meticulous attention to detail and for the insights he was able to give me into the work undertaken by John Corcoran. Audrey Henshall and Caroline Wickham-Jones are to be thanked for providing their specialist reports, and for dealing with such intractable material. Roland Golightly provided invaluable insights inte soilsth o , man f whico y h have been incorporated into this report. The then owners of the land, John and the late Carol Darmady, always took a great interest in our work, and Colin and the late Nancy Sutherland provided us with a comfortable base at the Latheronwheel Hotel. Staff of the Department of the Environment and its successor organizations (now Historic Scotland) were extremely helpful at all stages of the excavation: special thanks are due to lain Maclvor, Chris Tabraham, Patrick Ashmor d Johean n Knigh r theifo t r held thoughtfupan l comments, and to Roy Ritchie for his (unfortunately unsuccessful) efforts to find the documentation from his 1967 work at Canister Long. Finally, the author owes a special debt of gratitude to Christina Unwin for her skill and care in preparing the site drawings for publication, and to Gordon Barclay for his patience, care and support during the latter stages of preparing this report for publication.

REFERENCES Anderson, J 1866a 'Report on the ancient remains of Caithness, and the results of explorations', Memoirs Anthropol London,c So (1865-6)2 , 226-56. 2 18 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997

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This report publishedwas with aidthe ofgranta from Historic Scotland