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This unusual burial was recently found by archaeologists from Highland Archaeology Services, working in advance of the expansion of a quarry at Evelix, near Dornoch, in Sutherland.
Before it was used for burial, however, the pit is believed to have held some other function, with the walls expertly lined with neatly fitting stones held together with no mortar. Lynne McKeggie from Highland Archaeology Services remarked that the feature was so well-made that, ‘When site staff first saw the pit… they thought it might be modern, but the finds inside, and this style of building, all point to an Iron Age date.’ Irregularly ovoid in shape, it measures 3m long, 2m wide, and a little under 1m deep (10ft by 6.5ft by 3ft), with a set of shallow stone steps in one corner that descend to around half the depth. The base is also lined with stone slabs with clay pushed in between the gaps, possibly suggesting that it was used to hold water.
Surrounding the pit, a series of post-holes were discovered, which could indicate that this pit was once located inside a building, possibly a roundhouse. At some point, however, it appears to have been deliberately decommissioned, with the steps blocked off with large, rounded stones and the pit infilled. It is believed it was during this time that human remains were placed in one corner of the pit, since during the Iron Age it appears somewhat common for individuals to be interred within structures or sites as their use ceased.
Post-excavation analysis, including analysis of the human remains, is ongoing and it is hoped it will provide even more details about this intriguing discovery.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Images: Highland Archaeology Services
