Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 127

This report describes a number of pits and a linear feature close to the scheduled cropmark site at Farrochie. The remains of a shallow curvilinear ditch and eight pits were recovered in one area which produced evidence for possible Mesolithic and Neolithic activity. In another trench a number of truncated pits with no associated artefacts were recorded. There are notes on: `The chipped stone' by B Finlayson (20); `Palaeoenvironmental results' by C Clarke (20--1); and `The Neolithic pottery sherds' by T G Cowie (22--4).

Reports a site consisting of the remains of several structures, possibly small houses, and various pits and post-holes. Finds included a small assemblage of Grooved Ware which had been deposited in pits. This material, and the presence of cremated human bone in one of the Grooved Ware pits probably represents ritual activity on the site. A series of six radiocarbon dates was obtained, suggesting a sequence of activity stretching from the mid-fourth to the mid-third millennium BC. There are specialist reports on: `Ceramics' by Andrew Jones (89--96); `Flaked stone objects' (96--100) and `Coarse stone tools' (100--1), both by Tony Pollard; cup marked stones; `Burnt bone' by Jacqueline I McKinley (103); `Micromorphological analysis' by Stephen Carter (103--5); `Phosphate and magnetic susceptibility surveys' by Iain Banks (105--7); and finally, `Plant remains' by Sheila Boardman (107--9).

A fieldwalking exercise by Lanark and District Archaeological Society (LADAS) on moorland recently ploughed for forestry revealed the presence of an extensive Early Neo, Late Neo and EBA artefact scatter, a long mound and five round cairns. Excavation of two of the round cairns revealed them to be simple, single-phase monuments of Beaker date, sealing possibly cultivated soils. The long mound was a complex, multi-phase monument of Early Neo date which contained two secondary burials of a later date; one contained Late Neo artefacts (a Seamer axe and a large leaf-shaped knife), and the other contained three Beakers and a polished stone axehead. The mound overlay three phases of earlier activity: a stake-built structure which produced two Late Meso radiocarbon dates; a possibly cultivated soil deposit; and a series of bonfires (containing Early Neo pottery) which produced two Early Neo radiocarbon dates. This phase may be contemporary with stone structures whose relative stratigraphic position could not be ascertained. Excavation in the artefact scatters revealed evidence for widespread Neo domestic activity. There are specialist reports on: `The artefact scatters and areas of sample excavation' by Daniel A Johnston & Tam Ward (198--202); `Pottery' by A Sheridan (202--23); `Chipped stone; hammerstone and axeheads' by Bill Finlayson (223--34); and `Stone axehead from cairn 2' by Roy Ritchie (234). The Palaeoenvironmental remains section includes: `The charred plant remains from cairns 2 & 3' by Sheila Boardman (234); `Charcoal from the pre-mound deposits under cairn 2' by Anne Crone (234--5); `Palynology of old ground surfaces beneath cairns 1 & 3' by Richard Tipping (235--6); `Micromorphology of the soils buried by cairns 1 & 3' (236--7) and `Soil chemistry from the Historic Scotland sites' (237) both by Stephen Carter; `Charcoal identifications from sample areas 2 & 5' by Sheila Boardman (237--8); and `Carbonized plant remains from sample areas 2 & 5' by Ruth Pelling (238--9). `Dating evidence' is discussed by Daniel A Johnston & Tam Ward (240--3).

The excavation of the cairn in 1988 revealed a complex sequence of EBA funerary activities. These comprised several episodes of pyre cremation, construction of a large central cist, and six smaller satellite cists all of which had cremations deposited within them. This `cemetery' area was later surrounded by an eccentrically positioned ring-cairn which, subsequently, was covered by a massive mantle of stones. Burial and other ceremonial activities continued in the vicinity of the cairn, taking the form of further cremation deposits within a succession of at least three ring-groove palisade, and a minor cairn finally covered these structures as well. Two final cremations in pits atop this cairn, marked by small upright boulders, attest the longevity of the funerary tradition associated with this monument. There are specialist reports on: `The pottery' by Colin Burgess (305--9); `The plano-convex knife' by Bill Finlayson (309--10); `Cremated human remains' by Kath McSweeney (311--18); `Plant remains' by Camilla Dickson (318--22); `The soil and pollen stratigraphy beneath the cairn' (322--5) and `Palynology of the cist deposits' (326--7), both by Richard Tipping; `Minerals' by J G MacDonald (327--8); and `Kerb stones of the ring-cairn: size, type and colour' by Richard Tipping (328--31).

This report describes the excavation in 1977 of a square-ditched barrow probably dating from the first or second century AD, together with the damaged remains of a second square-ditched barrow, a crescentic feature (possibly the very damaged remains of a ring-ditch or ring-ditch house), and a circular enclosure, possibly of Neo date and measuring 18cm in diameter. A burial accompanied by a Beaker was recovered from the quarry shortly after the main excavation. There is a note on the `Radiocarbon dates' by Patrick J Ashmore (376 & 377) and an `Appendix 1: the Beaker burial' by Lisbeth M Thoms (381--3) which includes notes on `The Beaker' by Ian A G Shepherd (382--3) and `The skeletal remains' by Mary Harman (383).

Two small `forts', probably large round houses, occupying a natural eminence and further defended by banks and ditches, were excavated in advance of road building. Construction began at Site 2 between the first and second centuries BC and at Site 1 between the second and third centuries AD. Two major phases of occupation were found at each site. There are notes on: `Natural topography and landuse' by I D Máté (411--12); `Charcoal identification' by R McCullagh (431--2); `Radiocarbon dates' by P J Ashmore (432--6); `Metalwork' (436--9), `Ceramics' (439), `Querns and worked stone' (439--44), all by H E M Cool; `Petrology of the stone artefacts' by D Dixon (445); `Chipped stone' by D Lehane (445); `Metalworking debris' by R M Spearman (445--6); `Animal bone' by F McCormick (446); and `Human bone' by K McSweeny [K McSweeney] (446).

A Corieltauvian plated stater recently discovered at Galadean, Borders, is described and the few other IA coin finds from Scotland are summarized. Attempts are made to explain why the people of northern Britain did not adopt coinage, in terms of relationships between the area and the coin-using south in the late pre-Roman IA. There is an `Appendix: Iron Age coins from northern England' (522--3).