NEWSLETTER 33.1 Spring 2021 www.socantscot.org ISSN 0960 703X | CHARITY No. SC010440 The Clava Cairns © ScARF The President writes... Director’s Report I write these notes as your new President in the sleety greyness of early spring in eastern Scotland. country. She presented an authoritative picture Amidst talk of vaccination rates and the first, if of Neolithic and Chalcolithic Scotland, full of the 2 still distant, prospects of life beginning to return to latest insights from research and enhanced by something approaching normality, the grip of the fascinating detail from individual life histories to Dig It! pandemic seems to be loosening. For the moment, the definition of informative regional evidence. however, the Society’s activities remain primarily The lectures were picked up by Radio Orkney, digital, and that, of course, includes our meetings, and excerpts were reported in The Scotsman. 3 of which more in a moment. For those of you who could not be present, the entire series is available on the Society’s website I should begin by thanking my predecessor, Dr and YouTube channel. Alison, moreover, has David Caldwell, who completed an unprecedented since made available online a full bibliography in ScARF six-year period of sterling service and support of the lectures. stewardship of the Society on St Andrew’s Day. I am sad to report that two Councillors – Dr Sally Since then, 2021 has begun with two further 4 Foster and Dr Dawn McLaren – have stood down excellent lectures. Professor Emerita Marilyn due to other commitments, and thank them also Palmer of Leicester University lectured on the impacts of new technologies on ‘Comfort Looking back for their contributions. We shall soon lose the Publications advice of Dr Xerxes Mazda, the current National and Convenience in the County House’ with Museum Scotland Council representative, when examples from across Britain. Caroline Brown, he moves south to a new role in London. He goes Archivist at Dundee University, lectured on 5 to his new post with the Society’s best wishes. ‘The Power of Archives’ in a joint session with the Scottish Records Association, another new The benefit of delivering our lecture programme departure for the Society. Caroline highlighted over the internet has undoubtedly been – Research many of the difficult issues faced by archivists assuming viable connections – that Fellows and in an increasingly digital world, and one which their friends around the globe from Auckland to also seeks to safeguard voices from across our Vancouver have been able to take part ‘live’ in communities. 6 our events, even if at some cost to their normal daily routines. Our impression is that, a few Council is now embarking on revising the Society’s Strategic Plan of what we seek to achieve ‘wobbles’ aside, the technology generally coped Fellows' Pages well. However, the Director would welcome any in the coming years. Both the Director and I are feedback about what might be done to further keen to receive any input from Fellows on topics, improve this service. Not being a politician, I am priorities, and indeed any aspect of concern. A not going to make any predictions as to when we more formal consultation of the Fellowship will 8 shall be able to resume live meetings. Whatever take place in the summer, but early notice of key issues Fellows feel worthy of consideration would the timescale, the Society will ensure that – as far Events as possible – talks will continue to be accessible undoubtedly assist us. to our worldwide Fellowship. I am keen that the Society provides new It is impossible not to single out the six Rhind online services of benefit to Fellows, including 10 Lectures, delivered by our distinguished Fellow, drawing attention to new scholarly monographs Dr Alison Sheridan FSAScot, for especial comment. authored by Fellows (beyond those produced The lectures were a distillation of Alison’s work by the Society itself) and in fields of interest Information over many years, not only in the National Museum to the Fellowship. Please send your notices to of Scotland but also participating in projects and [email protected] advising colleagues the length and breadth of the – Emeritus Professor Ian Ralston FSAScot | President 12 Director’s Report As I write this, we remain under lockdown, working from also helping to offset the impact on our income of the home, with home-schooling the norm. I hope that all our pandemic subscription discount. Remember, if you are Fellows are keeping safe and well; you will appreciate that having financial difficulties because of the pandemic, some communications with Society staff might be delayed there is a 50% discount available on your 2020-21 under these circumstances. Fellowship subscription. I am very grateful to those who Following the previous Newsletter, we did indeed have have already donated and would encourage all Fellows to our first ever online Anniversary Meeting on St Andrew’s consider the Society as a charity worth your additional Day, but it is unlikely to be our last! It was great to see so support beyond your subscription during this very many Fellows attend, and from across the globe, so we difficult period. will endeavour to continue an online aspect to all our We also have a new member of staff in the Society to events for those who cannot otherwise attend. We also help support and develop our Fellowship: Jade Dent who is introduced online voting for the first time, and I am very introduced as our Fellowship and Events Officer in more pleased to say this too engendered greater engagement detail later in the Newsletter. I am sure you will also have from Fellows. It worked smoothly, seeing over 140 new noticed that the Society is also benefitting more from Fellows elected, a new Treasurer, Dr Kenneth Aitchison the expertise of Sally Pentecost from the Dig It! project in FSAScot, welcomed, and a new President, Emeritus improving our communications and the promotion of our Professor Ian Ralston, elected in a very close-run contest. I events and other areas of Society business. would like to thank both excellent Presidential candidates Finally, we are very grateful to the family of former for their agreement to a contested election, again a first for Fellow Dr Euan W MacKie for funding a new grant in his the Society in recent memory! name to support scientific analysis and reconstruction Our online events are attended by more people than is imagery of Neolithic and Iron Age sites in Scotland. See possible in the National Museum of Scotland auditorium. our Grants and Awards webpage for more details. Continuing to deliver online engagement with our Fellows I hope that all of you are keeping safe and well, and will be a high priority. It will require some infrastructure look forward to seeing you in the non-digital world, investment to create a hybrid environment between those hopefully soon, and perhaps even, for some of us, before attending in person and those online, but the benefits in the publication of our next Newsletter... or is that being too terms of bringing our Fellowship together are already clear. optimistic? Donations to the Society during registration are – Dr Simon Gilmour FSAScot | Director Below: artist Li Caswell-Sou's reimagining of the recently rediscovered gravestone at Kirkmichael in the Black Isle being carved. Read the update from the Dig It! team opposite to find out more. © Li Caswell-Sou 2020 2 DigNews It! In July 2020, the Kirkmichael Trust confirmed that they had The deserted farmstead which inspired Diansangu’s poem, uncovered a gravestone dated 1577. © Andrew Dowsett ‘nuhin new unner the sun’. © Galloway Glens Gravestones, Gaelic and poetry: an update from Dig It! Archaeology is all about discovering Scotland’s stories, Earlier this year, we announced and the Society’s Dig It! project has been busy finding new that we’d secured funding from Bòrd ways to tell them. na Gàidhlig to translate 12 of them, including several written by Fellows, Reimagining 2020 discoveries such as Dr Joana Valdez-Tullett Much of last year’s community-led archaeological FSAScot who co-wrote 'Scotland’s Rock Art: Discovering activities were postponed or cancelled due to Covid-19. Prehistoric Carved Landscapes' and Dr Natasha Ferguson However, several groups managed to resume their work FSAScot who wrote 'Of Grave Concern: The Archaeology with safety regulations in place when restrictions eased. of Burials on Scotland’s Battlefields'. Our long-term aim We captured these moments through our Scotland Digs is to have a bilingual (or multilingual) online presence, Digital campaign, which gathered online and offline with the ability to translate the website from English events for members of the public, as well as providing into Gaelic (and Scots) at the click of a button. In the live updates from groups across the country with the meantime, head to DigItScotland.com/Discover to check #ScotlandDigsDigital hashtag. At the end of the campaign, out the articles. we revealed a collection of some of the most intriguing finds from the summer, which were digitally recreated by An Ode to Archaeology artists, designers and illustrators (including one Fellow). In January, we also commissioned Mae Diansangu to One of the discoveries was made by the Kirkmichael produce a poem inspired by a Dumfries and Galloway Trust in the Highlands who uncovered a 450-year-old site linked to the Can You Dig It (CYDI) community gravestone, possibly the oldest dated gravestone ever archaeology programme. Mae is a spoken word artist recorded in the Black Isle. Using a surveying technique and performer based in Aberdeen whose work centres called photogrammetry, they confirmed that the weather- on anti-racism, intersectional feminism, and LGBTQIA+ worn inscription on the slab reads “5th of February rights.