Series: STAR Monograph

Housing developments at Port Seton provided a unique opportunity for detailed investigation of two adjacent cropmark enclosures. Linked by a series of radiocarbon dates between 400 cal BC and 560 cal AD, the two investigations encompassed studies of the archaeological remains, artefacts, animal bones, plant remains and sediments. The two Fishers Road sites were in contemporary use for at least part of their lives, though the East site probably continued longer, and the nature of their relationship is explored.

Report of excavations conducted within the scheduled area in the grounds of the Inveresk Gate estate, in advance of development. The results of earlier excavations were confirmed and refined, although the dating of the Roman occupation remains enigmatic. Although largely Antonine in character, some artefactual evidence pointed to the site having been occupied after the Antonine Wall had been abandoned. The first phase consisted of military defences concentric with the castra, the remains of which lie largely beneath St Michael's churchyard. These comprised lengths of ditch accompanied by a rampart formed from a mixture of techniques. The second phase included a road running from east to west across the site and the beginnings of a midden alongside it, in which were found military items. The third phase marked the appearance of the first phase of civil settlement including timber strip buildings. Evidence was found for the destruction of this phase by burning. The fourth phase also included the construction of timber strip buildings on the same plots, but using a different building technique, characteristic of Antonine military architecture in Scotland. Evidence indicates that this phase was also destroyed by burning. The fifth phase consisted of structures again built on the same plots, but using stone. The final two phases cover a few medieval features followed by post-medieval horticultural use and landscaping. The report includes environmental evidence from plant remains, pollen, carbonised wood, animal bone including fish and birds, marine shells, insect remains, and soil analysis. Artefactual evidence includes pottery, coinage and other small finds, stone, leather, glass, slag, building materials and a barrel used to line a well (from which some of the environmental evidence was taken) which contained several wooden objects. A chapter discusses the evidence in relation to the development, chronology and character of the settlement.

This monograph begins with a brief introduction to the project -- excavation of sites to provide information for policies to conserve rich upland archaeological areas -- and to the island of Arran. The second section describes the results at Tormore on Later Bronze Age hut circles and field banks, with earlier clearance cairns; at Kilpatrick on Neolithic burial cairns, a Later Bronze Age unenclosed platform settlement and Neolithic and Iron Age fields; and at Machrie North on Mesolithic activity, Neolithic fields with a house, Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age clearance cairns, Early Bronze Age burnt mounds and Late Bronze Age hut circles. The third section summarises this work, comparing the sites of the three areas and assessing their contribution to Scottish prehistory and to future excavations in comparable soils and settings. There is particular discussion of soils and archaeological features, peat formation, field systems, the end of the Later Bronze Age and of implications for cultural resource management. There are seven pottery reports by A MacSween: `The pottery from 10/1' (21), `Pottery from 16/2' (41), `Pottery from 16/3' (46), `Pottery from 24/3' (84--5), `Pottery from cairn 24/7C' (89--91), `Pottery from 24/01' (94) and `Appendix I; Pottery catalogue' (169--72). N Finlay contributes eighteen reports on: `Chipped stone from 10/1' (22--5), `Flint' (27--9), `Flint and pitchstone artefacts' (29--30), `Flint and pitchstone artefacts' (38--9), `Flint and pitchstone' (41--2), `Flint and pitchstone' (46--7), `Flint and pitchstone' (48), `Flint and pitchstone' (49), `Flint and pitchstone from the Fernie Bank' (58--60), `Flint and pitchstone from the soil test pits' (65--7), `Flint' (80), `Flint and pitchstone from 24/3' (86--7), `Flint from 24/7C' (91), `Flint and pitchstone from 24/01' (94--5), `Flint and pitchstone from cultivation area 24/50' (109), `Flint from 24/51' (112), `Lithics from the Arran sites; summary and discussion' (131--6) and `Appendix II; lithics catalogue' (173--80). Other contributions are: `Carbonised plant remains' by A D Fairweather & R McCullagh (13--21), `Kilpatrick soils' S Carter (34), `Chemical analyses of samples from soil pits' S Carter & M Dalland (64--5), `Vegetation survey' S Greshon (72--5), `Charred plant remains from 24/3' S Boardman (85--6) and `A radiocarbon-dated pollen diagram from Machrie Moor' by D E Robinson & J H Dickson (113--20). BOC

Extensive occupation deposits survived, despite drainage of the surrounding loch and subsequent excavation in the nineteenth century. Radiocarbon dating indicated that Buiston crannog was built during the Roman period, but dendrochronological analysis of the structural timbers showed that most of the surviving occupation deposits related to a short period of activity in the seventh century AD. Settlement on the crannog consisted, at any one time, of a single round-house within a defensive perimeter. A wide range of organic artefacts complemented the assemblage recovered in the earlier excavations. The natural environment, nature of the settlement, the status of its inhabitants and their relationship to the elite of British Strathclyde are among the themes explored. Chapters deal with: chronology; the Romano--British and earlier crannog; the early historic crannog and the natural environment, followed by details of its construction, occupation and economy; the whole concludes with a discussion. Within this there are contributions on: