EHG6431 - Excavation Phase 2 - A9 Berriedale Braes, Berriedale, Caithness

A second phase of archaeological excavation was carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in 2018 in advance of improvement works to the existing A9 road at Berriedale Braes in Caithness. The excavation was required in order to record the extent, condition and type of archaeological features and deposits and to recover artefacts and ecofacts within targeted areas of the development footprint. The fieldwork followed an initial trial trenching evaluation (see EHG5318), a watching brief on test pits (see EHG5319) and a Phase 1 excavation (see EHG5320). The fieldwork was undertaken between 29th October and 19th November 2018. The site was situated on the east side of the Berriedale burial ground by the A9, in a position on the top of a hillside that overlooked the point where the confluence of the Berriedale Water and Langwell Water empty into the North Sea. The open area excavation targeted the lower terrace (Trench 2), where buried archaeological features were found to be present along with surface deposits containing substantial Mesolithic lithics processing debitage and tools. Excavation revealed two large hearth pits containing substantial lithics artefacts, several post-holes, smaller hearths and probable floor deposits related to Mesolithic use. Groups of small, shallow pit features was also present within the thin remains of a Mesolithic soil layer. Disturbance by modern Geotechnical Investigation, including machined borehole and test trench excavation, had caused damage to the site. Hand-dug furrows, possibly medieval or later, had truncated the Mesolithic deposits in places. Areas around the hand-dug excavation Trench 2 and the Phase 1 excavation Trench 1 were stripped of topsoil by machine in order to check the enclosing areas for further buried remains. This uncovered several further clusters of features around Trench 2 only. Within the modern ploughed field boundary, the second large hearth feature was uncovered adjacent to the edge of a previous evaluation trench excavated in 2017. The feature probably consisted of several hearths or fire-pits and a possible post setting. Initial assessment of the features and Mesolithic material, which included small blade debitage, microliths and scrapers, suggested that the site formed a seasonal camp that could have been revisited during many seasons, potentially over a considerable period of time. <1>