Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 109

An excavator's skills cannot be assessed from even a full excavation report: the primary aim of archaeological publication is to make information available, not to encourage the impossible task of 'site reconstruction'. Moreover very few readers have the time or need to grapple with complex detail, even if they can afford the high costs of such reports. Hence conventional methods of publication in the 'Cranborne Chase manner' should be abandoned in favour of depositing a comprehensive primary report to publishable standard in an archive, with copies available in microform on demand. Only a distillation of this report would be printed in book or journal form.

NS 002843. Two Neo phases included traces of two small round houses and some hearths, together with greenstone axes, flint knives, arrowheads and scrapers, and pottery of Grimston style (discussion by J G Scott). Succeeding phases were represented by a semi-circular cairn and cist, and an isolated cist and hearth, all of BA; an oblong timber-built house (Late Iron Age?); an iron bloomery and a hearth radiocarbon dated to the 7th century AD; a rectangular stone-built house; and four ?medieval stone-built circular and rectilinear houses. A R

NS 863812. Three phases of occupation adjacent to the Roman forts were represented by two successive circular timber houses separated in time by a straight bedding trench. A complex defensive system could not be related to the site sequence, which is apparently of 1st-2nd centuries AD. Pollen suggests hay-meadows.

Quern evidence provides a clear separation between the northern brochs, most of which have saddle rather than rotary querns, and the western brochs, where only rotaries are found. The broch tradition must therefore have originated in N Scotland and spread from there into the west. AR

[NS 8680]. Excavations showed that the fort defences extended to form an ?integrally planned annexe defended on the E side by four ditches. Structural and pottery evidence indicate two Antonine phases, with final abandonment by AD 160. The nature of the annexe is unclear (succession of temporary wooden structures). D G

NJ 497263. Ploughing uncovered a large unbroken stone bearing the incised profile of a bearded man, in long tunic and headdress, carrying an axe; comparisons are made with Golspie and Glamis examples. A fragment from the same field bears the Pictish beast and comb symbols and part of an S-shaped figure. A R

[NJ 722128]. A rectangular hall built c 1454 was converted into a Z-plan by the addition of a square and a round tower at opposite corners by Thomas Leiper c 1563-76. The house was greatly enlarged in two main phases between 1588 and 1636 (extra floors, and wings enclosing a courtyard) and a prison cell was provided. Full family history, study of the estate development, and record of 19th century renovations. R J Mercer (273-7) adds a note on the stone circle at NT 715125. DFR/Ed