Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 123

During the excavation of a series of post--medieval boat nousts at Hurnip's Point, Deerness, Orkney, in 1991 it was discovered that one of the nousts had been constructed against the side of an earlier cairn. Topographical and geophysical surveys showed the cairn to be tadpole--like in shape with a total length of some 60m. Exploratory excavation of the `tail' of the cairn suggested that the monument was probably a Neolithic passage grave.

The portions of the Balfarg/Balbirnie ceremonial complex excavated between 1983 and 1985 are described and related to the portions dug previously: Balbirnie stone circle (76/3594) and Balfarg henge (83/10516).The prehistoric ceremonial use of the area seems to have lasted from early in the third millennium until late in the second millennium BC (in terms of uncalibrated radiocarbon dates). The sequence began with pit-digging and pottery deposition in two parts of the site, near Balfarg Riding School (BRS) and to the west of Balfarg henge. Then, two timber structures, possibly with a mortuary function, were erected at BRS, probably in the early/mid third millennium BC (uncalibrated). The later of the two was mounded over and surrounded by a circular ditched enclosure (a henge?); this activity was associated with the deposition of Grooved Ware. At about the same time, at the west end of the site, a similar deposition of burnt and broken Grooved Ware predates the construction of the Balfarg henge, with its timber and stone circles, and there is evidence of the first use of the Balbirnie stone circle.Later in the third millennium BC (uncalibrated) and in the second millennium, during the prolonged use of the Balfarg henge and the Balbirnie stone circle, a complex sequence of events unfolds at BRS, including the digging of a ring--ditch and the erection of two concentric ring--cairns and a further cairn.Late in the use of the complex there are episodes of burial associated with Beaker and Food Vessel pottery. Most burials are simple cremations, mainly in the area of Balbirnie stone circle, all apparently late in the sequence of the sites on which they are found. At the west end of the complex, cremations were deposited in simple urns.There are specialist contributions as follows. `Summary report on the topography, soils and sediments' (54--6), `Soils buried beneath ring--cairn A' (121) by D Jordan; `The prehistoric pottery: an introduction to the reports' (56--7) and `Catalogues of pottery' (microfiche A5--C9) by T G Cowie & A S Henshall; `The Neolithic pottery: vessels P1--P40: plain Neolithic pottery (Group 1 & Group 2)' (65--76), `Later Neolithic Impressed Ware: vessels P83--P114' (121--6), `Beaker pottery: vessels P115--P153' (127--35), `The Food Vessels P154--P155' (138--40), and `The Bucket Urns: vessels P156--P158' (145--6) by T G Cowie; `The Grooved Ware: vessels P41--P82' (94--108) by A S Henshall; `Basketry and textile impressions on the Grooved Ware' (108) by V J McLellan; `An assessment of the residues on the Grooved Ware' (108--10) by B Moffat; `The jet: summary and discussion' (140--2) by I A G Shepherd; `The stone assemblage' (151--9) and `Catalogue of stone artefacts' (microfiche C10--D4) by C R Wickham--Jones & D Reed; `The charcoal samples and radiocarbon dates' (159--60) by G Cook & R McCullagh; `The calibration of the radiocarbon dates' (161) by M Dalland; `The fieldwalking exercise' (162--5) by J Downes & C Richards; `Contextual analysis of the Grooved Ware at Balfarg' (185--92) by C Richards; and `Analysis of the timber structures' (169--75) by D J Hogg. BOC

During excavation of Bronze Age cists, samples were obtained for pollen analysis. One cist, at Upper Kenly Farm, Kingsbarns, yielded no particularly informative pollen. Material from two cists at Dalgety Bay yielded very low concentrations of pollen from grass, plantain, and, probably, hazel, but high concentrations of meadowsweet pollen. Flowers of meadowsweet were probably deposited in these graves at the time of burial; their absence from the Kenly burials may be because those burials took place in winter.

New radiocarbon dates for south--western Scotland are presented. The relationship between Irish and Scottish crannogs is analysed in the light of these dates and it is suggested that the notion of the crannog, a defended lacustrine homestead consisting of an artificial island encircled by piling, appeared in Scotland early in the first millennium BC and reached Ireland in the late sixth century AD.

Limited excavations at Dalginross, Comrie, Perthshire, uncovered an entrance of the Stracathro type and showed that the camp was of two phases of construction; at Dun, Angus, only the enclosure ditches were identified. There are specialist contributions by Stephen Carter `Micromorphological analysis' (283--5) and Sheila Boardman `Charred plant material' (285, 288--9 & microfiche).

This paper attempts to describe the signalling arrangements along the Gask Ridge in Strath Earn, and the influence these may have had on the general layout of the system of Roman installations, in an effort to understand the purpose and layout of the Roman line. It also reports on the re--excavation of a possible Roman fortlet close by the Gask Ridge tower of Midgate, Findo Gask, Perthshire. This juxtaposition suggests that the Gask Ridge fortlets may not be exactly contemporary with the towers. Although there is insufficient evidence to prove that the fortlets belong to another Flavian period, or to a different period altogether, the former may still appear more likely.

Describes the excavation of three long cists. Two skeletons were dated and the results are discussed in relation to radiocarbon dates from other long cist cemeteries. Daphne Home Lorimer reports on `The human bones' (341).

Topological links between wooden artefacts and those made from stone, pottery and metal facilitate the dating of some distinctive styles of wooden container. However, radiocarbon is in many cases the only method of dating those wooden troughs and dishes that are typologically indistinct. This paper reports on the radiocarbon dating of a number of wooden vessels from Scotland.

In the sixteenth and early-seventeenth century many Scots used lead seal matrices with simple heraldic designs. This note describes seven which have survived, and presents analytical information which suggests that their makers often mixed tin with the lead to make it harder.

Before their reorganisation into crofts or clearance for sheep, farming townships of the west Highlands and Islands were generally arranged around small irregular clusters of settlement, known as clachans or bailtean. For some, these clusters are an archaic settlement form with roots in late prehistory. This paper argues for a different interpretation of their character and chronology. Using a mix of documentary, cartographic, and field data, it argues that the settlement morphology of bailtean was not fixed or stable, but in a continuous state of flux, with individual house--sites being regularly abandoned and reoccupied. Their nucleated form may have replaced a more diffused pattern, and the switch between the two may not have begun until the late medieval period and may have still been incomplete even in the eighteenth century. It is argued that this adjustment of settlement accompanied a shift from a field economy based on enclosures to one based on runrig open fields.

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