Iron Age hopes for Moray field
experts say survey of site at Burghead has proved ‘very promising’
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Experts believe they have discovered another Iron Age power centre in Moray.
Yesterday National Museums of Scotland curator Dr Fraser Hunter said investigations at a field at Burghead have possibly revealed “a high-status site”.
The archaeologist said the remains of four Iron Age roundhouses could lie buried beneath the soil.
He said: “In combination with the finds that have been discovered at the site, it suggests that this is one of the more important areas, one of the power centres of the Burghead area.”
The exact location of the site at Burghead is being kept secret while further investigations are carried out.
Exciting discoveries unearthed at the field in recent years prompted a team of Glasgow University experts to carry out a study of several acres of land last week.
A hoard of Roman coins and brooches, Bronze Age gold-plated ring money, a shield stud, a gold ring and a mediaeval belt buckle are among the relics found at the location in recent years.
Last week’s three-day National Museums of Scotland-sponsored study investigated the internal structure of the field using a technique called geophysical surveying.
The discipline allows archaeologists to discover what lies beneath the soil without the expense and toil of excavating.
Mr Hunter said the results were “very promising”.
He added: “There’s evidence that we have got a settlement of roundhouses there, which was what we were hoping for. We can never know entirely with geophysics, so the idea would be to test this and get some funding. We need to discuss it with various people and the landowner but the ideal next move would be to start excavating. It looks very promising.”
Another Iron Age power centre 13 miles south at Birnie, near Elgin, has, over the last 12 years, uncovered a vast array of relics.
Excavations at the site at Birnie have revealed two separate hoards of Roman coins and an Iron Age pot in the same trench.
This led experts to believe that they may have been part of an ancient ritual.
They were buried during the reign of the Emperor Severus (AD 193-211), who organised the last major Roman invasion of Scotland, and are thought to be bribes to persuade local chieftains to keep the peace.
They are now on display in Elgin Museum with other finds from the site.
Mr Hunter went on to say that the works at the Burghead field would be small-scale by comparison, however. “There is no way that we could do anything on the same scale as what we have done at Birnie. We have been digging there for 12 years,” he said.
Readers' Comments
Mr Hunters work at Birnie will have been for nothing if he does not look at what I have discovered at Glamis.The theory that Severus was paying of the Picts does not impress me, their are better theories to explain those pots of coins.Would like to share what I know with Mr Hunter, perhaps the press and journal could help
george donaldson
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