This summer will be an exciting season for archaeology in Caithness, with a number of community archaeology projects going on. All tastes will be catered for, from digging brochs to building them! Informative talks, tours and traditional skills workshops will complement the projects so there will be something for everyone

The Nybster Broch Project, 26th April to 8th May, and 1st to 13th August

Nybster Broch is one of the most spectacular Iron Age settlements in northern mainland Scotland. In a stunning location on the coast, it is one of the more accessible broch villages in Caithness, having been cleared and uncovered by Sir Francis Tress Barry in the 19th century. Excavations by the National Museum of Scotland in 2005 demonstrated that despite Tress Barry’s clearance of the site, much of the original Iron Age and Norse period archaeology remains intact. The site presents a unique opportunity to explore the archaeology of the ‘long Iron Age’ in Caithness.

Located a short walk from the recently opened Caithness Brochs Centre, the 2011 excavations will be an exciting way for locals and visitors to Caithness to get involved in hands-on archaeological research into one of Scotland’s finest brochs. Caithness Archaeological Trust and AOC Archaeology Group will be running a total of four weeks of excavations at the broch, giving enthusiasts of all ages the chance to learn archaeological excavation and recording techniques and to gain firsthand experience of the study of our past. Come along and get your hands dirty!

There will also be a series of traditional skills workshops, lectures and guided tours throughout the summer, so everyone can get involved.

Stay up to date with the progress of the project, and keep in touch with planned training events through the project website and dig diary at www.aocarchaeology.com/nybster

Thrumster Broch Community Excavations, 4th to 24th July 2011

Yarrows Heritage Trust will be running three weeks of excavations at Thrumster Broch, with the expert guidance of archaeologists from AOC Archaeology Group, and as part of the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of British Archaeology 2011.

Located on a prominent spur of land close to the nationally important archaeological landscape of Yarrows, Thrumster Broch is one of many sites in Caithness to have been excavated in the 19th century, although no accurate or detailed records survive. The interior of the roundhouse was emptied of rubble over 200 years ago, and a summer house built in the area of the broch entrance.

Despite these relatively recent investigations, we can be fairly certain of finding surviving Iron Age archaeology. Although antiquarian excavations were rarely recorded to modern standards, excavations by the National Museums of Scotland at Nybster Broch have demonstrated that in-situ structures, deposits and artefacts can often be well preserved, even after antiquarian digging.

Alexander Rhind and Thrumster
19th century lawyer, Egyptologist and antiquarian Alexander Henry Rhind (1833-63) lived at Thrumster Mains. Rhind can correctly be thought of as one of the forefathers of modern archaeology; he was a brilliant scholar, known for his systematic work and comprehensive knowledge of prehistory. His contribution to the study of British prehistory was enormous for his time, and he excavated several chambered cairns in Caithness. Rhind is remembered by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in the Rhind Lecture Series, a prestigious annual lecture series given by invited scholars in Edinburgh.

Come along and take part – excavations will be taking place during the first three weeks of July. To keep up to date with excavation days and public events, and to read the dig diary, go to www.aocarchaeology.com/thrumster.

Spittal Stoneworks Early Architecture Project

From digging down to building up – Caithness Archaeological Trust and The Archie Sinclair Fossil Centre will be broch building at Spittal!

Work will involve the construction of a section of broch up to 10m in height. The wall will feature intra-mural galleries, a common feature of Iron Age brochs. Building the broch with large slabs of stone will be hard work, but we trust that participants will relish the challenge and enjoy the communal endeavour!

One of the main interests of the project is to force the collapse of the structure, and in doing so, to find out more about the way in which brochs collapse. We will learn more about this process by depositing various items at specified locations in the broch; then when we force the collapse of the broch, we can identify where those items ended up. This will hopefully reveal much about the processes that some archaeological artefacts go through before archaeologists find them many years later.

It is hoped that artists, photographers, film-makers and art students will come to take inspiration from the construction of such an imposing and beautiful building. Please contact Caithness Archaeological Trust to make the most of this remarkable opportunity.

Other events such as story-telling, traditional skills workshops and evening talks will also take place during the project, so everyone can get caught up in this exciting community activity.

This project is expected to last four or five weeks in and around August. Further details will be confirmed and a project website created soon.