Condition

1
Mound & coastal exposure
Bronze Age, Iron Age
3503
SMR386
Orkney

Description

A substantial mound lies adjacent to the coast and has already been truncated by sea erosion. The current erosion face is cut through the highest point of the mound, exposing up to 5m of archaeological deposits in a 150m long section. The surviving portion of the mound slopes inland from the section face and is visible for some 60m. The exposed deposits are a well-stratified mix of organic soils with frequent inclusions of shell (limpet, cockle, winkle), bone, peatash and charcoal. In the section, a fragment of masonry, 1.2m long by 0.3m high, has the appearance of an outer wall face belonging to a structure only now beginning to erode. Of note, is the survival of fibrous organic material, which occurs in discrete lenses, and which appears to be a mixture of straw and dung; probably byre waste. In the scale and appearance of the mound and in the nature of the exposed deposits, this mound appears to be fairly typical of the Sanday farm mounds, but there are some indications that it may have early origins. Fragments of straight sided pottery, possibly of Bronze Age date, were recovered from deposits towards the base of the section. The remains are known to have been eroding since at least 1928; they are very vulnerable to further coastal erosion and the section is inherently unstable, being based on soft sand deposits. Ref.: RCAHMS (1946), #174; RCAHMS (1980), #81. UPDATE Sept 2017 As described, coast edge relatively vegetated at time of visit partially obscuring structures and deposits, but remains very vulnerable to erosion

Location

368360.00
1044420.00
27700
59.2850647
-2.5570552

Submitted photographs

Image Date Caption User
Detail of cockle shell deposit in Sept 2017 10/12/2014 Detail of cockle shell deposit in Sept 2017 joannahambly
Detail of cockle shell deposit in Sept 2017
Detail of visible structure in Sept 2017 10/12/2014 Detail of visible structure in Sept 2017 joannahambly
Detail of visible structure in Sept 2017
General view of section in Sept 2017 10/12/2014 General view of section in Sept 2017 joannahambly
General view of section in Sept 2017
Closer view of the site in March 2016 10/12/2014 Closer view of the site in March 2016 training1
Closer view of the site in March 2016
The site in March 2016 10/12/2014 The site in March 2016 training1
The site in March 2016
Building looking WSW, April 2014 10/12/2014 Building looking WSW, April 2014 training1
Building looking WSW, April 2014
Looking south along southern end of mound. Storm beach visible at section base. This overlies till. 10/12/2014 Looking south along southern end of mound. Storm beach visible at section base. This overlies till. training1
Looking south along southern end of mound. Storm beach visible at section base. This overlies till.
Closer view of stone structure 10/12/2014 Closer view of stone structure training1
Closer view of stone structure
Stone structure to right of figure 10/12/2014 Stone structure to right of figure training1
Stone structure to right of figure
General view of section April 2014. Stone structure to left of standing figure 10/12/2014 General view of section April 2014. Stone structure to left of standing figure training1
General view of section April 2014. Stone structure to left of standing figure
Peat ash rich deposits and concentrations of cockle shell 10/12/2014 Peat ash rich deposits and concentrations of cockle shell training1
Peat ash rich deposits and concentrations of cockle shell
Stone walling (?) above midden and bands of cockle shell 10/12/2014 Stone walling (?) above midden and bands of cockle shell training1
Stone walling (?) above midden and bands of cockle shell
View of landward top of mound, looking NE 10/12/2014 View of landward top of mound, looking NE training1
View of landward top of mound, looking NE
Panorama of whole section April 2013 10/12/2014 Panorama of whole section April 2013 training1
Panorama of whole section April 2013
Representative section of deposits 10/12/2014 Representative section of deposits training1
Representative section of deposits

Submitted updates

Update id Date User
3320 19/09/2017 training1
Description UPDATE Sept 2017 As described, coast edge relatively vegetated at time of visit partially obscuring structures and deposits, but remains very vulnerable to erosion

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