Construction and Re-use of Bargrennan chambered cairns, South-West Scotland
Vicki Cummings, Chris Fowler, 2005. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000202. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Dr Vicki Cummings, Dr Chris Fowler unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Dr
Chris
Fowler
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Newcastle University
South Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
England
Tel: 0191 2225759
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 418
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000202
- How to cite using this DOI
Construction and re-use of Bargrennan chambered cairns, South-West Scotland
Vicki Cummings and Chris Fowler, 2005
Introduction
Project directors: Dr Vicki Cummings (University of Central Lancashire) and Dr Chris Fowler (University of Newcastle upon Tyne).
Introduction
This project was instigated to investigate the initial construction and use of 'Bargrennan' style chambered cairns in Dumfries and Galloway. Excavations were conducted at Cairnderry from 2002-2004. These excavations answered some questions about the initial construction of the site, though they have not provided a secure dating framework for construction, and discoveries during the 2003 season illustrated that the perimeter of the site had become the focus of mortuary practices around 1900-1700 BC. As a result the project was adjusted to consider the re-use of Bargrennan sites in the Bronze Age as well as continuing to investigate their original construction.
Cairnderry
We have conducted three seasons of investigations at Cairnderry. In the first season we exposed the extent of the cairn to the north-west of the monument and located a kerb to the south-east of the monument. The cairn and kerb were recorded. In the 2003 season we excavated the area in front of the kerb, removed the capstone which had fallen into the southern chamber and excavated this chamber, exposed the southern area of the cairn, recorded it and excavated portions of it, and excavated the passage area. Due to the discovery of early Bronze Age features outside the cairn, in 2004 we returned to the site, completed the excavation of two intersecting pits, and searched for further features outside the south-east of the monument.
Results are summarised in the overview section of this archive and in the posted interim reports. A multi-media website based on the results of the excavations can be found at the UCLan Cairnderry website.
Bargrennan White Cairn
2004 saw the beginning of excavations at Bargrennan chambered cairn, only a few kilometres from Cairnderry. We aimed to compare the evidence for early Bronze Age activity from both sites, to investigate the possibility that there was datable material under paving slabs known to exist in the chamber at this site, and to look for datable material under the cairn.
The passage and chamber of this monument had been excavated in 1949 by Stuart Piggott and T.G.E. Powell in a three day excavation. The chamber was found to be empty, but paved with slabs. The passage contained some pottery and cremated bone, and they also found a pit within the passage region which contained cremated bone, charcoal and a flint tool. They did not examine other areas of the monument. Our project examined areas around the perimeter of the cairn to look for pits similar to those at Cairnderry or any other signs of early Bronze Age activity on the site. We also examined the composition of the cairn and aimed to locate any datable material covered by the cairn; and re-examined the passage and chamber with the specific aim of looking for deposits underneath the paving where Piggott and Powell had ceased excavating. In 2005 we completed excavations to the south of the entrance, and also opened a trench to the rear of the monument, taking in its northern perimeter.
Results are summarised in the overview section of this archive and in the posted interim reports. A multi-media website based on the results of the excavations can be found at the UCLan Bargrennan website.
