Inner Hebrides Archaeological Project 2008: DES report, Salum
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Inner Hebrides Archaeological Project – Salum Bay Recording and geophysical survey
Darko Maricevic – University of Reading
NM 06655 48820, NM06662 48854, NM 06679 48814 and NM06687 48848: The site exposed in the face of near vertical coastal dune near the E end of Salum Bay was previously reported to contain archaeological deposits, which were endangered by the rapid rate of erosion (Moore and Wilson 2002, DES 2005). The exposed section was recorded in April 2006.
The deposits take the form of midden layers, structural rubble and several cut features, including a large ditch and are concentrated in a c.25m long stretch of the dune cliff. A further stretch of c.30m towards the NE contains a well-preserved buried soil horizon. The stratigraphic sequence in the section is split in two due to the recent intrusion by a rubbish pit containing plastic, metal wire and sheep bones. This modern material is looser and it is accelerating the erosion process.
About a dozen unstratified pottery sherds and fragments of sheep and cattle bones that had eroded from the section were collected. A further 23 sherds were retrieved directly from the section, from eight different contexts. The pottery fits well within the local Hebridean Iron Age tradition, with parallels from Tiree, Coll and the Western Isles. The finds have been deposited at An Iohdlann Archive and Museum, Scarinish, Tiree.
The geophysical survey was undertaken in two separate seasons, a magnetic survey in April 2006 and the ground- penetrating radar survey in July 2007. Both surveys took place on top of the dune, between the cliff face and the road. The magnetic survey also encompassed the remains of an adjacent post-medieval/modern stock enclosure to the S. The complexity of the Iron Age remains visible in the section have not been matched in the magnetic survey due to interference from scrap metal and the thickness of the windblown sand that overlies the archaeology. The GPR data, however, show that the area between the cliff and the road contains a complex set of archaeological features and deposits at variable depths. The information from the GPR data and the recorded section will be correlated to obtain a better understanding of the buried remains.
The site remains under the threat of erosion and continues to be monitored. The last visit was made in September 2008, when it was noted that the eroding front of the dune was being colonised by a denser population of marram grass than usual. This could help stabilisation of the dune in the short term, but its prospects are uncertain in the longer term. Archive: University of Reading (currently), An Iohdlann, Tiree and RCAHMS (intended)Funder: AHRC, An Iodhlann Archive and Museum, Tiree and University of Reading
Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 2008 vol. 9, p. 49
Darko Maricevic – University of Reading
NM 06655 48820, NM06662 48854, NM 06679 48814 and NM06687 48848: The site exposed in the face of near vertical coastal dune near the E end of Salum Bay was previously reported to contain archaeological deposits, which were endangered by the rapid rate of erosion (Moore and Wilson 2002, DES 2005). The exposed section was recorded in April 2006.
The deposits take the form of midden layers, structural rubble and several cut features, including a large ditch and are concentrated in a c.25m long stretch of the dune cliff. A further stretch of c.30m towards the NE contains a well-preserved buried soil horizon. The stratigraphic sequence in the section is split in two due to the recent intrusion by a rubbish pit containing plastic, metal wire and sheep bones. This modern material is looser and it is accelerating the erosion process.
About a dozen unstratified pottery sherds and fragments of sheep and cattle bones that had eroded from the section were collected. A further 23 sherds were retrieved directly from the section, from eight different contexts. The pottery fits well within the local Hebridean Iron Age tradition, with parallels from Tiree, Coll and the Western Isles. The finds have been deposited at An Iohdlann Archive and Museum, Scarinish, Tiree.
The geophysical survey was undertaken in two separate seasons, a magnetic survey in April 2006 and the ground- penetrating radar survey in July 2007. Both surveys took place on top of the dune, between the cliff face and the road. The magnetic survey also encompassed the remains of an adjacent post-medieval/modern stock enclosure to the S. The complexity of the Iron Age remains visible in the section have not been matched in the magnetic survey due to interference from scrap metal and the thickness of the windblown sand that overlies the archaeology. The GPR data, however, show that the area between the cliff and the road contains a complex set of archaeological features and deposits at variable depths. The information from the GPR data and the recorded section will be correlated to obtain a better understanding of the buried remains.
The site remains under the threat of erosion and continues to be monitored. The last visit was made in September 2008, when it was noted that the eroding front of the dune was being colonised by a denser population of marram grass than usual. This could help stabilisation of the dune in the short term, but its prospects are uncertain in the longer term. Archive: University of Reading (currently), An Iohdlann, Tiree and RCAHMS (intended)Funder: AHRC, An Iodhlann Archive and Museum, Tiree and University of Reading
Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 2008 vol. 9, p. 49
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