Gearing up for second dig at Sheriffside
Kirsty Gibbins • Published 19 Jan 2012 09:22
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The April dig will be funded by fees paid by those wishing to take part in the excavations.
More than 200 people took part in the dig at the site in May
THE excavation of a "crucial" historic fort settlement near Gifford, dating back to the beginning of the first century AD, is to be expanded later this year with a further archaeological dig at the site in April.
More than 200 people - including East Lothian schoolchildren, archaeology students and adult learners - were involved in the excavation led by Rampart Scotland (RS) at an enclosure site at Sheriffside in May last year.
The dig, funded by Haddington's Peter Potter Gallery and carried out as part of RS's Hill Forts of East Lothian project, yielded a number of interesting items and a variety of features, including rock-cut post-holes, channels and a cut terrace in the hillside.
RS, which undertakes research into Scottish hill forts, is now planning to return to the site for further excavation, to hopefully shed more light on the historical importance of the area and what relation it has to other hill fort sites in East Lothian.
The plan is to open a trench on the west side of the site between April 6 and 9, and Rampart Scotland is inviting volunteers of all ages to sign up and pay a small contribution to be involved in the project.
David Connolly, co-director of Rampart Scotland, who was one of the leading archaeologists at last year's dig, told the Courier: "This is a new way of funding archaeology and I think it's very positive because it allows professional archaeologists like myself the opportunity to fund projects in a different way while also helping to provide others with new and exciting skills.
"There will be myself and about four other professional archaeologists leading the excavation and supervising the volunteers. It doesn't matter whether you are 10 years old or 90, you will be given the chance to get involved.
"This is crucial work because we're creating a framework for future research into these sites for the next century."
Archaeology students from all over the UK, including York, Glasgow and Edinburgh, will be taking part in the April excavation.
The Sheriffside site was first discovered in 1981 and identified as a double-ditched enclosure, representing a ploughed-out and flattened hill fort whose ditches survive below the ground and affect the growth of crops.
No further investigation of the site was carried out until Rampart Scotland undertook last year's programme of geophysical survey and evaluation to characterise and date the enclosure as part of its ongoing 'Hill Forts of East Lothian' project.
The funding for the dig was provided as part of the 'Lost Landscapes' programme at Peter Potter Gallery, and a report of results was issued by Rampart Scotland bosses in October.
Excavation of the site revealed that it was not, in fact, an enclosure but a platform settlement dating to the closing centuries BC and the early first century AD.
However, it is still not clear if there is in fact an enclosure on the site which may have been superseded by the platform settlement.
A number of artefacts were unearthed during the excavation, which was carried out in a single trench, including polishing stones, a hand-thrown ceramic shard and charcoal.
To take part in the April excavation costs £10 per day or £30 for all four days. No accommodation is provided and volunteers will have to make their own way to the site and bring their own food.
Advance booking is necessary as places are strictly limited. Contact David Connolly to book a place info@bajr.org or telephone 01620 861643.
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