Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Book chapter
'The worked shale and related materials' In: Strachan, David, Cook, Martin and McLaren, Dawn 'Three Forts on the Tay: Excavations at Moncreiffe, Moredun and Abernethy, Perth and Kinross 2014–17'
Two items in black organic-rich stone were recovered from Moncreiffe, while a larger assemblage of 21 items was recovered from Moredun (Chapter 4.7). Both assemblages include a range of unfinished objects, indicating elements of craft production at both sites. A more detailed discussion of the sources of the raw material,...Hunter, Fraser
craft production, archaeological excavations, Montcrieffe fort, worked shale, bangle fragment, and bead
-
Book chapter
'The worked shale and related materials' In: Strachan, David, Cook, Martin and McLaren, Dawn 'Three Forts on the Tay: Excavations at Moncreiffe, Moredun and Abernethy, Perth and Kinross 2014–17'
Excavations recovered a comprehensive assemblage of 21 items from Moredun, including a range of unfinished material, indicating elements of craft production, while in addition, an unfinished bangle fragment was previously recovered from the hilltop as a stray find.Hunter, Fraser
craft production, archaeological excavations , assemblage, Moredun excavations, and bangle fragment
-
Book chapter
Stone tools
The excavations at Lower Callerton revealed a multiphase Iron Age settlement consisting of 53 structures, multiple enclosures and linear boundaries which extended beyond the excavated area (Fig. 4.1). The activity was concentrated within Area 2, which measured c. 4.6 ha, with the removal of the topsoil revealing a settlement extending...Hunter, Fraser
Lower Callerton, excavations, settlement, Iron Age , and Stone tools
-
Abstract
Encounters and transformations beyond Roman borders: an-integrated paleoenvironmental, archaeological and historical approach which will explore the unconquered societies living beyond the northern most Roman frontier and their encounters with Rome
It is well known that the Roman Empire expanded as far north as the Highlands of Scotland between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD before retreating to a series of frontiers in modern day central Scotland and northern England. Major changes to the everyday activities of locals and to the... -
Journal article
Silver stories: new insights from the Traprain Treasure
The late Roam silver hoard from Traprain Law (East Lothian) was found over 100 years ago but is still revealing fresh secrets. A recently-published research project (see 'Book Reviews') involved an international team of specialists analysing all aspects of this silver, from its manufacture and use to is later treatment,...Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
"Metal assemblage" In: Hill, Ian and Gamble, Michelle 'Hume Village and Castle: the setting of a late medieval stronghold and post medieval folly in the Scottish Borders'
From the excavations of the Contextualising Hume Project, ten items from secure contexts in the castle grounds were submitted for analysis, along with an unstratified cannonball found in the garden of West End Cottage. These items consisted of eight iron items, one piece of unclassified iron-working slag, and a coin...Hunter, Fraser
cannonball , iron, archaeological excavations, Contextualising Hume Project , and metal assemblage
-
Journal article
2. SCOTLAND
NORTH OF THE ANTONINE WALL: Tap o'Noth and Longforgan THE ANTONINE WALL: Seabegs Wood, Milnquarter, Bonnyside East, Rough Castle, Mumrills and Bo'ness SOUTH OF THE ANTONINE WALL: Castle GregHunter, Fraser
Roman Scotland, industrial activity, Military Way, hillforts, Antonine Wall, fortlet, archaeological excavations , and camps
-
Book chapter
Material worlds
This chapter considers material culture themes beyond any single region or country in order to look at recurring problems and possibilities across the European Iron Age. Often these are analogies (such as problems of taphonomic bias) rather than direct linkages, but large-scale issues in European prehistory are also considered, such...Hunter, Fraser
technological innovation, material culture, taphonomic bias, decoration, and Mediterranean links
-
Lecture
Secrets in the stores - an overlooked Iron Age burial from Baledgarno
Fraser Hunter from National Museums Scotland talks about a polished stone disc from The McManus' collection which was discovered in a Tomb at Baledgarno Gravel Pit, and discusses its origins and usage in Iron Age Scotland.Hunter, Fraser
-
Lecture
The Ballachulish Goddess
Come along to Glencoe Folk Museum to learn about the mysterious Ballachulish Goddess from an expert in the field.Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
2. SCOTLAND
Sites explored in North of the Antonine Wall, The Antonine Wall, City of Glasgow, Falkirk and South of the Antonine Wall.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
AA: Vessel fragments not allocated to types
Among the material not catalogued by Curl was a box of 'scrap' (see Chapter 31). It is presented here in the following categories: decorated elements; other unusual elements; feature sherds (rims, base); fragments with lathe grooves; body sherds and non-diagnostic material.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Other hoards with Roman Hacksilber
This appendix offers background and analysis of all Hacksilber hoards, defined here as hoards with cut, folded or crushed Roman plate.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
The Treasure of Traprain: conclusions and questions
Tackling the Hacksilber hoard from Traprain Law is an imposing project. Not only in the primary publication by Alexander Curle a masterly analysis that has survived the test of time, but the sheer scale of the material is daunting. Our work suggests that the surviving 23kg consisted of 327 individual...Hunter, Fraser ; Kaufmann-Heinimann, Annemarie ; Painter, Kenneth
-
Book chapter
Hacksilber in the Roman period and beyond
Although Alexander Curle was able to call on the Ballinrees (Coleraine) hoard from Northern Ireland as a parallel for the hacking of Traprain, it was not until Wilhelm Grunhagen's 1954 study of the Großbodungen hoard (Thüringen/Germany) [Illus 41.1] that Hacksilber saw serious study as a concept in the Roman period....Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Hacking the Traprain Treasure
The Traprain Law Treasure1 has traditionally been viewed as a group of late Roman silver that met an unfortunate fate. Most vessels had been completely distorted, often by multiple hacking phases, with fittings removed, rims severed, footrings pushed out of position and sometimes even split lengthwise. Many had been crushed...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Introduction
On 12 May 1919, a workman was digging on the Iron Age hillfort of Traprain Law in East Lothian, some 30km east of Edinburgh in south-east Scotland [p1]. The work had only restarted for a fortnight: excavations had been in abeyance for three years in the turmoil of the Great...Hunter, Fraser ; Kaufmann-Heinimann, Annemarie ; Painter, Kenneth
-
Blog post
The many lives of the Traprain Treasure’s Roman silver
One of the greatest treasures of our museum is the late Roman silver hoard from Traprain Law in East Lothian, which fills three display cases in the Early People gallery. Found in excavations in 1919, it’s been on display pretty much constantly since 1920. Now, more than a century after...Hunter, Fraser
Traprain Treasure, Silver, and Roman
-
Newspaper article
Shedding new light on some of Scotland's greatest Roman silver treasures - Dr Fraser Hunter
One of the greatest treasures on display in the National Museum of Scotland is the late Roman silver hoard from Traprain Law in East Lothian, which fills three cases in the Early People gallery. Found in excavations in 1919, it’s been on display pretty much constantly since 1920. Now, more...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Southern art on the northern frontier: a remarkable Iron Age harness fitting from Doune Roman fort
In 2010 excavations within the Flavian fort of Doune (Stirling) uncovered a remarkable bronze strap junction with red glass inlay, decorated in styles of Celtic art typical of southern Britain rather than its immediate environs (Figure 1). Unfortunately, post excavation funding for this phase of the work was not forthcoming...Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
Gerhard Bersu in Scotland, and his excavations at Traprain Law in context
Bersu’s excavations on the hillfort of Traprain Law in south-east Scotland are reviewed in the light of his British and Irish digs and other work on the hill itself. It differs from the rest of his British excavations, which mostly focussed on houses, but is entirely in keeping with his...Hunter, Fraser ; Armit, Ian ; Dunwell, Andrew
Scotstarvit, League of Prehistorians, hillfort , O. G. S. Crawford , Traprain Law, Vere Gordon Childe, and roundhouses
-
Journal article
GLASS BANGLES IN THE BRITISH ISLES: A STUDY OF TRADE, RECYCLING AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIRST AND SECOND CENTURIES AD
Glass bangles are found in southern England and Wales from the mid-first century and become common in the north of England and southern Scotland in the late first century, before their numbers decline a century later. British bangles develop at a time of change, as Roman glassmaking practices were introduced...Paynter, Sarah ; Crew, Peter ; Campbell, Richard ; Hunter, Fraser ; Jackson, Caroline
Late Iron Age , Roman , glass bangle , artefact and material culture studies , archaeometry , and Britain
-
Journal article
‘Cannel coal bangle’ , In McGalliard, S, & Wilson, D 2021 Bronze Age and Iron Age Archaeology at Thainstone Business Park, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire: An Investigation of Structures and Funerary Practices
Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd was commissioned by Axiom Project Services to undertake an archaeological excavation in advance of a commercial development at Thainstone Business Park, Aberdeenshire. Excavation identified the remains of a Middle Bronze Age roundhouse and a contemporary urned cremation cemetery. Evidence of Late Bronze Age cremation practices was...Hunter, Fraser
Cemetery, Structure, Souterrain, Settlement, Roundhouse, Bronze Age, Cremation, Urn, and Iron Age
-
Journal article
Unusual Roman Iron Age burials on the Links of Pierowall, Westray, Orkney
Antiquarian accounts and surviving finds allow two Iron Age cist-burials found in the late 18th century on the Links of Pierowall on Westray, Orkney, to be reconstructed, although no details of the bodies survive (but both were most probably inhumations); the unusual finds have not previously received full attention. One...Graham-Campbell, James ; Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
An Iron Age burial with a polished stone disc from Baledgarno, Perth and Kinross
A polished stone disc which has long lurked in Dundee Museum’s collections is identified as a rare example associated with an Iron Age burial. This was an occasional but recurrent rite during the Roman Iron Age, with parallels further up the E coast as far as Shetland. Where the burial...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
'Discussion' In: Hatherley, Catherine & Murray, Ross 'Culduthel: an Iron Age craftworking centre in North-East Scotland'
The Iron Age settlement at Culduthel is one of the most significant later prehistoric sites identified in mainland Scotland. Archaeological excavation in 2005 revealed a craftworking centre which had specialised in the production of iron, bronze and glass objects between the late 1st Millennium BC and early 1st Millennium AD....Hatherley, Candy ; Dungworth, David ; Hunter, Fraser ; Mclaren, Dawn
prehistory, northern Scotland, material culture, Prehistoric archaeology, and Highlands & Islands
-
Book chapter
'The Stone Artefacts' In: Hatherley, Catherine & Murray, Ross 'Culduthel: an Iron Age craftworking centre in North-East Scotland'
The Iron Age settlement at Culduthel is one of the most significant later prehistoric sites identified in mainland Scotland. Archaeological excavation in 2005 revealed a craftworking centre which had specialised in the production of iron, bronze and glass objects between the late 1st Millennium BC and early 1st Millennium AD....McLaren, Dawn ; Hunter, Fraser ; McGibbon, Fiona
prehistory, Highlands & Islands, material culture, Prehistoric archaeology, and northern Scotland
-
Book chapter
'The glass artefacts and glass-working debris from Culduthel: typology, discussion and catalogue' In: Hatherley, Catherine & Murray, Ross 'Culduthel: an Iron Age craftworking centre in North-East Scotland'
The Iron Age settlement at Culduthel is one of the most significant later prehistoric sites identified in mainland Scotland. Archaeological excavation in 2005 revealed a craftworking centre which had specialised in the production of iron, bronze and glass objects between the late 1st Millennium BC and early 1st Millennium AD....Hunter, Fraser
prehistory, Highlands & Islands, material culture, Prehistoric archaeology, and northern Scotland
-
Book chapter
'Iron artefacts' In: Hatherley, Catherine & Murray, Ross 'Culduthel: an Iron Age craftworking centre in North-East Scotland'
The Iron Age settlement at Culduthel is one of the most significant later prehistoric sites identified in mainland Scotland. Archaeological excavation in 2005 revealed a craftworking centre which had specialised in the production of iron, bronze and glass objects between the late 1st Millennium BC and early 1st Millennium AD....Hunter, Fraser
prehistory, Highlands & Islands, Prehistoric archaeology, material culture , and northern Scotland
-
Book chapter
Brooches from the Antonine Wall
The discovery of a number of brooches in the course of the excavations in the Falkirk district has prompted a review of the brooches known from the Antonine WallHunter, Fraser
-
Video
Dr Fraser Hunter’s Trimontium Top10
Dr Fraser Hunter Hunter is principal curator of Iron Age and Roman collections at NMS, Edinburgh. His research work focuses around three key topics: understanding Iron Age decorative metalwork (“Celtic art”) in its European context understanding the impact of the Roman world on the peoples of Scotland in its Empire-wide...Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
Roman Britain in 2020, I. Sites Explored: 2. Scotland
Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
'Shale and cannel coal’, ‘Cannel coal’, and ‘Cannel coal bangle’ in O’Connell, C. & Anderson, S. 2020. Excavations in a prehistoric landscape at Blackfor'd, Perth & Kinross, 2007–8'
The extensive remains of enclosed and unenclosed prehistoric settlements, including the remains of at least 14 circular structures, were discovered within ten areas of archaeological interest, situated on well-drained knolls in an undulating landscape north of Blackford village. The settlements have been dated principally to the Middle and Late Bronze...Hunter, Fraser
Unenclosed settlement, Enclosed, settlement, Palisade, and Roundhouse
-
Book chapter
Bronze medallions in Barbaricum and the Northern Provinces. A Medallion of Clodius Albinus from Scotland
Aleksander Bursche has made an in-depth study of Roman medallions beyond the frontier over many years. Gold has been his main focus,¹ but one of his earliest publications concerned a bronze medallion-like coin from Gdansk.² A recent Scottish find prompts a reconsideration of bronze medallions in Barbaricum, and I offer Aleksander...Hunter, Fraser
-
Lecture
An Egyptian Luxury in Roman Scotland
Discover how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland's past as we take a closer look at a very special Roman object with surprising Egyptian origins.Hughes, Bettany ; Hunter, Fraser ; Potter, Dan
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Our friends in the north: Stanwick, Traprain Law, and the encroaching Roman world
Over his career, Colin has worked on and around two of the major Iron Age centres of central Britain – Stanwick in North Yorkshire and Traprain Law in East Lothian. Both are unusual within their regional contexts in scale, activities, and their extensive contacts with the Roman world. In comparing...Hunter, Fraser
-
Lecture
Dr Fraser Hunter: War and Diplomacy on Rome's Northern Frontier
The story of Roman Scotland often gets told from the Roman point of view, with a focus on the army and its actions. But the legions did not simply march into an empty landscape. The Iron Age peoples of Scotland reacted to this invasion in many different ways, from outright...Hunter, Fraser
-
Hunter, Fraser
armour, arm guard , bronze, Roman Scotland, amellar , and Newstead
-
Journal article
Iron, glass and stone finds In: Hatherley, Candy, Jeremy Evans, Martin Goldberg, Kay Hartley, Mhairi Hastie, Nicholas McQ Holmes, Fraser Hunter, Julie Lochrie, Gwladys Monteil, Effie Photos-Jones, Scott Timpany, David Williams, and Steven Willis. 2020. “Doune Roman Fort, Stirlingshire: Excavations in 1999, 2008 and 2010”
Three archaeological excavations were undertaken by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd within the grounds of Doune Primary School in Stirlingshire, each located on the site of Doune Roman fort. These excavations revealed sections through triple-ditched defences, elements of the turf rampart and the perimeter road (via sagularis) on both the west...Goldberg, D Martin ; Hunter, Fraser ; Lochrie, Julie
Flavian, Barracks, Scotland, Ovens, Denarii, Metal-working furnace, Fort, Doune, Stirlingshire, and Roman
-
Journal article
An Egyptian urn from Roman Scotland
A broken stone urn tells the story of an intrepid journey udertaken around 2,000 years ago. Fraser Hunter describes how its tale came to light once moreHunter, Fraser
-
Blog post
Stories from small things – a remarkable Roman brooch
Fraser Hunter is the principal curator of Iron Age and Roman collections at National Museums Scotland. His primary research interests are understanding Iron Age decorative metalwork (“Celtic art”) in its European context, understanding the impact of the Roman world on the peoples of Scotland in its Empire-wide context and making...Hunter, Fraser
-
Blog post
Romans in your letterbox
One of our most prized Roman artefacts has received the ultimate accolade – it’s featured on a Royal Mail stamp.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Worked bone, antler, teeth and shell
The Sculptor’s Cave is one of the most enigmatic prehistoric sites in Britain. Excavated in the 1920s and 1970s, new analysis of the archive has revealed a complex history of funerary and ritual activity from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age. Using innovative methods and new techniques, this...Cruickshanks, Gemma ; Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Iron Age and Roman silver, copper alloy and lead objects
The Sculptor’s Cave is one of the most enigmatic prehistoric sites in Britain. Excavated in the 1920s and 1970s, new analysis of the archive has revealed a complex history of funerary and ritual activity from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age. Using innovative methods and new techniques, this...Hunter, Fraser