Mesolithic Finds Sorting Completed

Added by Eric Grant at 18:46 on 25 March 2025

Sorting of wet and dry saved residues from excavations at the Tarradale 2B shell midden was carried out in the winter of 2023 to 2024 and the winter of 2024 to 2025, with the last session held on Sunday, 23 March 2025. The excavation of the 2B shell midden was undertaken in metre squares and 10 cm s...

Tarradale Excavations 2024: The Barns

Added by James McComas on 12 September 2024

Tarradale is certainly a location that keeps on giving archaeologically. This has paid dividends most spectacularly with our Mesolithic Shell Midden excavations in 2017 and 2023, and our large scale Pictish Barrow Cemetery dig in 2019. However, significant sites from other periods have also featured...

Tarradale Excavations 2024: A Post-Medieval Wall and an Elusive Distillery

Added by James McComas with Eric Grant on 15 July 2024

In early May 2024 we undertook some limited excavation at Tarradale to see if we could identify a distillery site shown on the 1788 Estate map (extract below). The mechanical digger uncovered a mass of stone at our chosen location which looked initially promising. Unfortunately, several further days...

Shell Midden Excavation September / October 2023

Added by Eric Grant on 21 May 2024

In 2017 the Tarradale Through Time project excavated a shell midden (known as site 2B) located on a raised beach terrace at the foot of a palaeo-cliff about 150 m south-east of Tarradale House, see previous blog post. In September to October 2023 the site was revisited by the Tarradale Archaeologica...

Tarradale Barrow Cemetery Excavation Video and Forum Thread

Added by James McComas on 09 April 2021

Recently the 25 minute video of the 2019 Barrow Cemetery Excavation was released. It is dedicated to the memory of Jonie Guest who co-filmed it and who also appears. Did you volunteer on the dig? Perhaps you will spot yourself! Watch it below. There is a thread you can contribute to on the NOSAS for...

TARRADALE THROUGH TIME NOMINATED FOR CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH PROJECT OF THE YEAR: WE NEED YOUR VOTE!

Added by James McComas and Eric Grant on 02 December 2020

TARRADALE THROUGH TIME is delighted to announce that we are on the shortlist for the Current Archaeology magazine research project of the year. This is great recognition for all the effort and support from the many people that been involved with TARRADALE THROUGH TIME. It is your opportunity to vot...

UPDATE & CREATIVE CHALLENGES RESULTS

Added by Eric Grant on 08 March 2020

Previously we outlined some of the results of last autumn’s excavation of the Pictish barrow cemetery in a field near Tarradale House. The discoveries were dramatic – uncovering some of the largest Pictish graves in Scotland what appears to be one of the most extensive Pictish cemeteries...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Final Day

Added by Eric Grant on 26 September 2019

The last day of the dig was scheduled to be Sunday 15 September, but there was so much going on that we decided to carry on for a few more days with Thursday 19 September being the last day for tidying up on site and any last-minute drawing and recording. The portable welfare unit was due to be towe...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 18

Added by Anne Coombs and Jonie Guest on 18 September 2019

Interpretation of Pictish barrows at Tarradale by Pat Haynes As the 3rd planned excavation of Tarradale Through Time comes to an end we are starting to see the exciting and complex picture of the sites we have excavated. There will be so much consideration of everything we have found and what it mea...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 16

Added by James McComas on 15 September 2019

Sunday was Day 16 and we are now into extra time with lots of features still to be investigated across the 3 trenches of our large site. The planned dig end was Saturday, which also our open day. In the event we had over 100 visitors despite challenging weather conditions. On Sunday Andy Hickie was ...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 11

Added by Anne Coombs on 10 September 2019

Day 11 After a long weekend when the cleaning was completed and sections for more exploration were chosen we began to dig out the fill of several ditches. The big circular ditch has 4 small sections cut across the ditch. The south section lies immediately beside the enigmatic stone ?cairn? and the ...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 10

Added by Jonie Guest on 09 September 2019

Something a little more unusual today for the blog. The Tower, The Drone or the Plane? All three have been used for photography on the TTT site. Which would you prefer? I know which I do! This was an experience to be remembered, Robin, our pilot agreed to take three of us (Eric, Chair of TTT and my...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 6

Added by Anne Coombs on 06 September 2019

Day 6 Today a simple site report as we are finishing the first clean back and lots of photos and tomorrow we begin to get down to the nitty gritty of excavation. One student found his first post hole which is always a cause for celebration but generally today it was quiet satisfaction of a job prog...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 5

Added by Jonie Guest on 05 September 2019

Steve gave a site tour first thing this morning before digging commenced. Then the rain came, so a quick retreat to the garage (site tent) for a quick cuppa while we waited for the shower to pass. The excavation now is full steam ahead and the diggers are still enthusiastic, getting into a rhythm i...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Day 4

Added by Anne Coombs on 04 September 2019

In Trench 1 it was just hard work with very stony ground and very indistinct features. T1 is on the higher ground and over the years has been more subject to movement of soil downhill. Today the features finally became more defined and all the hard work of the T1 warriors was rewarded. Trench 2 has...

Barrow Cemetery Dig - Opening Weekend

Added by Anne Coombs on 01 September 2019

Three days of preparation last week with a few very tempting patterns in the soil, lovely weather and we were ready to go. Saturday morning 9.00a.m. the rain was torrential with a forecast of 99% chance of rain for the whole day. 27 people braved the elements and were registered for the excavation....

Tarradale 2018 Excavation Video: Gilchrist and Balvattie

Added on 17 August 2019

To whet your whistle for the 2019 dig, here is our newly edited video of last year's excavations at Gilchrist promontory fort and Balvattie enclosed settlement. It's 20 minutes long, edited down from around 90 minutes of footage recorded by Jonie, Lachlan and I across the 2 weeks of excavati...

Summer Update and Touring Display

Added by Anne Coombs on 15 June 2019

TTT has been very quiet recently however we have been busy behind the scenes. We have been commissioning post excavation analysis of the finds and samples taken last year. We have also appointed our archaeological supervisor for the final excavation and soon we will be asking for volunteers for the ...

Looking ahead to the Barrow Cemetery Excavation 2019

Added by Eric Grant on 19 May 2019

TARRADALE THROUGH TIME community archaeological project has been surveying and excavating a number of archaeological sites in the Muir of Ord area over the last three years, with spectacular results so far. In September 2019 TARRADALE THROUGH TIME is embarking on its largest and potentially most int...

2018 Excavations: Gilchrist and Balvattie

Added by Eric Grant on 12 March 2019

In September 2018 two sites were investigated by TARRADALE THROUGH TIME, a fortified enclosure just west of Gilchrist church and a rather enigmatic and possibly ritual site south of Gilchrist church, but located on Balvattie Farm. Gilchrist Promontory Fort The Gilchrist fort is a rather unusual m...