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Most recent entries
- Latest Finds from the Fiskavaig Rock Shelter site
- New Finds from the High Pasture Cave site…..
- Finds Recovered from the Site during August 2008
- Latest Finds from the High Pasture Cave excavations
- New Finds from the 2008 Fieldwork Season
- Latest Finds from the High Pasture Cave Excavations - 2007
- Latest Finds from the Excavation of Trench 6, Bone Passage
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- Antler artefacts and quern stones from the High Pastures site
- Latest finds from Trench 6, Bone Passage
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- New finds from Trenches 2 and 3
- Exciting new finds from the Trench 2 extension
- New finds of bone and antler from the Trench 2 extension
- 7th - 10th June 2005 - Latest finds from the Trench 2 extension
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Finds
1st May 2005 - New Finds from Trench 2
Posted by steven on 01/05/2005 at 09:23 PM
Read on for more details of new finds recovered from Trench 2 during the last week of work.
Grinding tools manufactured from sandstone pebbles continue to be the most common type of find recovered from Trench 2, with two more artefacts of this type found this week (see images below).
The tool displays heavy areas of wear (bottom of tool in image) and rounding, although the function of the grinders is not clear at present. The tool shown below also shows evidence of a grinding motion. In this instance, the tool displays two distinct facets that are slightly convex in profile
It is possible that these tools may have been used in grinding grain of some form, or for crushing ore in the metalworking processes, which we know are taking place somewhere within the High Pastures site. Evidence for the processing of cereals is indicated by the fragments of rotary querns already recovered from the site, while a large fragment of a sandstone saddle quern was also found during excavations in Trench 2 this week.
When uncovered in the trench the large piece of sandstone displayed a highly polished surface, this having quite a flat profile. However, when we recovered the artefact a concave dished area was revealed on the opposite side of the stone, where cereal grains would have been ground into flour. Therefore, it seems that this artefact had two quite different functions.
The image below shows four refitting fragments of pottery that were recovered from Trench 2 during the week ending the 25th April. The sherds of pot comprise part of the base of a small undecorated vessel, with a slightly rounded bottom.
Next entry: 15th May 2005 - Granite Pebble Grinder and Deposits of Animal Bone from Trench 2
Previous entry: 24th April 2005 - A possible loom weight or net sinker from Trench 2