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Journal article
Textiles in a Viking Age hoard: Identifying ephemeral traces of textiles in metal corrosion products
This paper presents a novel method and terminology to identify and describe textiles from ephemeral traces in metal corrosion products. Since the 1980s, mineralised textiles (positive and negative casts in Janaway’s terminology) have been an important source of archaeological evidence. A major issue now is the identification of textiles in...Davis, Mary ; Harris, Susanna
Textile , Mineralisation, Silver, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Microscopy, Copper corrosion, Viking age, and Anglo-Saxon
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Book
Crucible of nations: Scotland from Viking Age to Medieval Kingdom
This third book from The Glenmorangie Company Research Project, following Early Medieval Scotland and Scotland’s Early Silver, will also appeal to readers of The Galloway Hoard. It takes a new look at National Museums Scotland collections covering the period 800-1200: the fall of the Pictish kingdoms and rise of the...Maldonado, Adrián
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Journal article
Collecting the nation in the museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1832–91
The sixty-year period from 1832 to 1891 was key to the development of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and its museum, during which time its collection was transferred to national ownership and greater emphasis began to be placed on social and cultural history. This article analyses acquisition data to... -
Journal article
Pests or prey? Micromammal species within an ancient anthropic environment at the Norse settlement site of Tuquoy (Westray, Orkney)
Micromammals, like rodents and shrews, adapt rapidly to take advantage of new food sources, habitats and ecological niches, frequently thriving in anthropogenic environments. Their remains, often retrieved during archaeological investigations, can be a valuable source of information about the past environmental conditions as well as interspecies interactions and human activity....Romaniuk, Andrzej A ; Troalen, Lore G ; Bendrey, Robin ; Herman, Jeremy S ; Owen, Olwyn …
commensalism, introductions, Orkney, micromammal, archaeology, and predation
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Other
The Daniel Wilson Scrapbook Listing
Sir Daniel Wilson (1816-1892) was an archaeologist, author, antiquarian and Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland from 1845 - 1853). Wilson donated his scrapbook (which he referred to as his "Memorials of Auld Reekie") to the Society. It contains illustrations of Edinburgh and other material, some of which...National Museums Scotland
Archives, Leith, Edinburgh, Library, Memorials of Edinburgh in the olden time , Sir Daniel Wilson FSA (Scot) (January 5, 1816 – August 6, 1892), engravings, and Index
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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
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Journal article
Experiment, Experience and Enchant: Knowledge sharing between museums and contemporary practitioners
Knowledge sharing between contemporary practitioners and museum professionals can be more than just investigating how something is made. It is also about working together to understand why an object was created, and by whom; how each artefact has a story to tell, of its journey through time and the places...Maldonado, Adrián ; Rothwell, Sarah
sculpture, knowledge sharing, The Glenmorangie Commission, contemporary practitioners, museums, and Simone ten Hompel
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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
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Journal article
Joseph Anderson (1832–1916) and the Scottish historical collection in the Antiquities Museum, 1869 to 1892
Joseph Anderson (1832–1916) was an influential figure within the history of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Scottish archaeology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But while Anderson is best known for his contribution to the development of Scottish prehistoric and early medieval archaeology, there has been...Holder, Julie
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Blog post
Collecting contemporary Scottish whisky / A’ cruinneachadh uisge-bheatha Albannach an latha an-diugh
Plenty of people collect whisky, but how many can say that they collect whisky for a museum? PhD student Laura Scobie has the enviable job of expanding our whisky collections. In this blog post, Laura explores the ways that whisky brands adopt a sense of place and explains how collecting...Scobie, Laura
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Research report
Ancient Egyptian Collections in Scottish Museums
Several reviews of collections have been conducted historically, though they have not been focused in the same manner as that under discussion presently. For example, in 1887 the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland conducted a report on local museums in Scotland, funded by a financial gift. The report, published in...Potter, Daniel M
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Research report
East Asia Collections in Scottish Museums
The opportunity to conduct a review of the East Asian collections in Scotland arose alongside the development and opening of a new gallery, Exploring East Asia, at National Museums Scotland. Initial research revealed that, although there were East Asian collections of fine and decorative arts, archaeology and dress across Scotland,...Tothill, Vanessa
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2008
The 2008 excavations at Birnie (Moray) produced a wide range of excitement, both structural and artefactual. The story of the burnt-down roundhouse (trench D) became increasingly clear, with the smaller underlying roundhouse (c. 12.5m in diameter) more fully exposed and the structure of the later ring-ditch house revealed. A key...Hunter, Fraser
Scotland , Middle Ages, Birnie , Bronze Age , Romans , Iron Age , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2009
The 2009 excavations examined six roundhouses, three of which had burnt down. Several showed signs of later activity. Trench AL looked at burnt deposits uncovered in a previous trial trench. It revealed a substantial ring-ditch house, 16 m in diameter, which had been repaired and rebuilt before burning down, preserving...Hunter, Fraser
Iron Age Birnie Romans Scotland Antiquities Bronze Age Middle Ages
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 1999.
Excavations continued in 1999 on an Iron Age settlement at Birnie, Moray, where metal-detecting had recovered a disturbed Roman coin hoard. Earlier work had shown the settlement was in part contemporary with the coins, and it may have been the residence of a powerful local chieftain who had contacts with...Hunter, Fraser
Scotland, Iron Age, Birnie, Antiquities, Bronze Age, Romans, and Middle Ages
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2002.
The unenclosed Iron Age site at Birnie, Moray, was an important settlement in the region. Two Roman silver coin hoards have been found on the site, providing an unrivalled opportunity to investigate connections with Rome in the late second century. It seems they were part of a policy of "gifts"...Hunter, Fraser
Birnie, Romans, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Antiquities , Bronze Age , and Scotland
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2001.
A further season of excavations in 2001 continued the examination of the unenclosed Iron Age site at Birnie, Moray. Work so far has shown this was an important settlement, inhabited by people of some status who were in contact with the Roman world. In 2000 the bulk of a disturbed...Hunter, Fraser
Middle Ages, Scotland , Iron Age , Birnie , Romans , Bronze Age , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2004.
Trial excavations from 1998-2003 showed that Birnie (near Elgin) was the site of an important, long-lived later prehistoric settlement complex and subsequently a medieval village. The later prehistoric site was a local power centre in contact with the Roman world far to the south - as seen most spectacularly in...Hunter, Fraser
Middle Ages, Scotland , Iron Age , Bronze Age, Birnie , Romans , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2000.
In 2000 a further season of excavations was carried out on the Iron Age settlement at Birnie, Moray. The site is known from aerial photographs, and metal detecting has recovered part of a Roman silver coin hoard. Results so far suggest this was an important site during the Iron Age,...Hunter, Fraser
Middle Ages, Scotland , Iron Age , Birnie , Romans , Bronze Age , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2006.
In 2006 work at Birnie focussed on four main trenches. Good progress was made with the burnt-down roundhouse - the layers are complex, interleaved and varied, but they tell fascinating stories. Many of them derive from burnt turf, and it seems both walls and roof were turf-built, with collapsed wattle...Hunter, Fraser
Middle Ages, Iron Age , Birnie , Bronze Age , Scotland , Romans , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2007.
The 2007 excavations at the later prehistoric site at Birnie examined four areas. Continued excavation of the burnt-down roundhouse (trench D) revealed extensive remains of chared timbers from the roof and possibly an upper floor. Substantial structural posts were also found, some squared; other structural elements included a mortice and...Hunter, Fraser
Middle Ages, Scotland , Iron Age , Birnie , Romans , Bronze Age , and Antiquities
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Research report
Excavations at Birnie, Moray, 2005.
The 2005 excavations on the later prehistoric and medieval site at Birnie, Moray investigated two very different roundhouses. The main focus was a large house (c. 16 m in diameter), occupied around the time of the coin hoards, which had burnt down and was very well-preserved. Its full extent was...Hunter, Fraser
Scotland , Bronze Age , Birnie , Iron Age , Middle Ages, Romans , and Antiquities
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Journal article
Peelhill Farm: a possible Late Bronze Age weapon sacrifice in Lanarkshire
The hoard of bronze weapons found in 1961 at Peelhill Farm in South Lanarkshire remains one of the most remarkable discoveries of Late Bronze Age metalwork from Scotland, its importance reflected in the detailed account of the find published by John Coles and Jack Scott in 1963. In the present...Mörtz, Tobias ; Knight, Matthew G ; Cowie, Trevor ; Flint, Jane
Late Bronze Age, Hoard, Conflict, Ritual, and Weapons
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Journal article
Professor John Morton Coles
Professor John Coles, who died on 14 October 2020 aged 90, had a long and distinguished career as a prehistorian, experimental archaeologist and wetland archaeologist, and he made substantial contributions to Scottish archaeology, as well as to European and world archaeology more generally.Sheridan, Alison
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Journal article
Mycobacterium leprae diversity and population dynamics in medieval Europe from novel ancient genomes
Hansen’s disease (leprosy), widespread in medieval Europe, is today mainly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with around 200,000 new cases reported annually. Despite its long history and appearance in historical records, its origins and past dissemination patterns are still widely unknown. Applying ancient DNA approaches to its major causative... -
Technical report
Ceramic resource disc: later pottery & porcelain from Ronaldson Wharf Leith
The Leith Ronaldson’s Wharf excavations carried out by the City of Edinburgh Archaeological Servicein 1997. This large urban excavation covered two large areas either side of the medieval main street Sandport Street laid out formally in the 12th century overlying and incorporating the pre burgh fishing settlement and port. The...Haggarty, George
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Book chapter
Missing mammals from the Mesolithic middens: a comparison of the fossil and archaeological records from Scotland
Wild mammmals were an essential source of food and materials for Mesolithic people in Scotland. However, most Mesolithic sites in Scotland contain scant evidence of the mammals that were exploited locally. In contrast, the fossil and contemporary records indicate that there was a very high and changing diversity of mammal...Kitchener, Andrew C ; Bonsall, Clive ; Bartosiewicz, László
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Book chapter
Eclogite or jadeitite: The two colours involved in the transfer of alpine axeheads in western Europe
During the 5th and 4th millennia BC, the Neolithic extraction of stone around Mont Viso and in the Mont Beigua massif in the north Italian Alps resulted in the production of large polished axeheads in ecologite, omphacitite, jadeitite and amphibolite - raw materials which were not only rare but which...Pétrequin, P ; Sheridan, J A ; Cassen, S ; Errera, M ; Gauthier, E …
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Book chapter
Dating the Scottish bronze age: "There is clearly much that the material can still tell us"
Results from a current National Museums of Scotland (NMS) radiocarbon dating initiative, the Dating Cremated Bones Project, are presented. The project takes advantage of a recent development in radiocarbon dating that enables reliable dates to be obtained from cremated bone. The results indicate that Collared Urns were in use in...Sheridan, J A
dating, SCOTLAND, Bronze Age, and collared urns
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Book chapter
Battle axeheads; the types and uses of cinerary urns; Early Neolithic carinated bowl pottery
The upgrading of part of the A1 road in south-east Scotland prompted the excavation of eleven archaeological sites. These spanned a period of 5,000 years from the early fourth millenium BC to the early fifth century AD. This volume draws together the results of the excavations and presents the story...Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
The Neolithisation of Britain and Ireland: the big picture
This contribution offers a model for the Neolithization of Britain and Ireland featuring multiple strands of immigration, from different parts of France to different parts of these islands - at differing scales and for differing reasons - over the course of several centuries from the third quarter of the 5th...Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
A jet bead from Flag Fen, 2004. In: F. Pryor & M. Bamforth (eds), Flag Fen, Peterborough: Excavation and Research 1995-2007
The site at Flag Fen lies at the centre of a once-wet Fenland bay, immediately east of Peterborough. In the Bronze Age a huge alignment of posts crossed a kilometer of wetland to link the two sides of one of the most important and intensively studied prehistoric landscapes in Britain....Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
The cinerary urns
This volume presents the results of fieldwork on the East Lothian coastal plain in south-east Scotland investigating the nature of later prehistoric settlement around the hillfort of Traprain Law. Following geomagnetic surveys at thirty sites, six enclosures were excavated, three extensively. All six had complex occupation histories, involving multiple acts...Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
Art in context: the massive metalworking tradition of North-East Scotland
The ancient Celtic world evokes debate, discussion, romanticism and mythicism. On the one hand it represents a specialist area of archaeological interest, on the other, it has a wide general appeal. The Celtic world is accessible through archaeology, history, linguistics and art history. Of these disciplines, art history offers the...Hunter, Fraser
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Book chapter
Section 6.1 The finds: The pottery
The site of Warren Field in Scotland revealed two unusual and enigmatic features; an alignment of pits and a large, rectangular feature interpreted as a timber building. Excavations confirmed that the timber structure was an early Neolithic building and that the pits had been in use from the Mesolithic. This...Murray, H K ; Murray, J C ; Fraser, Shannon M ; Sheridan, J A
Neolithic period, Scotland, Mesolithic period, Excavations, and Prehistoric Dwellings
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Book chapter
Stories from black bangles: jewellery and other finds of jet-like materials in Roman Scotland
Lindsay Allason-Jones has been at the forefront of small finds and Roman frontier research for 40 years in a career focussed on, but not exclusive to, the north of Britain, encompassing an enormous range of object types and subject areas. Divided into thematic sections the contributions presented here to celebrate...Hunter, Fraser
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Book chapter
The Roman coins from Newstead in context
In an Appendix to A Roman Frontier Post and its People, George Macdonald listed and discussed 249 Roman coins from the site, 1 a total which had been increased to 262 bythe time Macdonald published his first survey of ‘Roman coins found in Scotland’. 2 The number of recorded finds...Holmes, N M McQ.
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Book chapter
From lidar to LSCM: micro-topographies of archaeological finds
Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), or lidar, is an enormously important innovation for data collection and interpretation in archaeology. The application of archaeological 3D data deriving from sources including ALS, close-range photogrammetry and terrestrial and photogrammetric scanners has grown exponentially over the last decade. Such data present numerous possibilities and challenges,...Evans, Adrian ; Maxwell, Mhairi ; Cruickshanks, Gemma
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Book
St Ninian’s Isle treasure
The St Ninian's Treasure is both beautiful and mysterious: its craftsmanship is sophisticated, but the circumstances surrounding its deposition, despite much investigation, are largely unknown. These exceptional silver and silver-gilt objects, dating to around AD800 were discovered by chance in 1958 under a cross-marked slab in the area of the...Clarke, David V
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Journal article
Scottish East Coast Transfer Printed Wares
In this paper I will use both extant examples and shards recovered archaeologically to highlight what evidence we have, for production of transfer printed wares, by the potteries situated between Portobello and PrestonpansHaggarty, George R
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