During preliminary groundworks for the construction of the new sanctuary, the mechanical excavator exposed a shell deposit at the east end of the site. After being notified of it, I offered to investigate further, which led to several days of excavations. These revealed that there were in fact two shell middens, one on top of the other, and separated by approximately ten centimetres of wind-blown sand. The presence of charcoal and fire-cracked stone indicate that these were not merely piles of shells, but rather the result of human activity—the collection of shellfish from Findhorn Bay, and their subsequent cooking and eating.
I assumed that these would prove to be Mesolithic, at least six thousand years old, and therefore created by our hunter–gatherer forebears. But I would not know for certain until the results of radiocarbon dating came back.
In the meantime I dug down through the midden deposits, took photographs, and collected numerous samples of the shell and other material. These samples were examined carefully in the hope of finding charcoal, seeds, fish bone, and with luck some cultural objects. These objects might range from small flint tools, to antler picks, and harpoons.
The analysis of the samples showed that the upper deposit consisted largely of mussel shells, sand, and charcoal, while the lower one was dominated by cockle shells and fire-cracked stone. The differing assemblages of shells may indicate a difference in the preferences of the two groups using the site, or they may represent changes in the shellfish in the bay over time, as some species are sensitive to changes in temperature and the composition of the substrate. Similar differences were observed in middens on the Culbin Sands in excavations there.
It would be an understatement to say that I was surprised by the radiocarbon dates when they came in. It turns out that neither deposit was Mesolithic. The lower one dated to the later Iron Age—between 172 and 48 BCE. This is a time in Scotland when many defended hill forts were occupied, as were the Broch towers in the North, and iron smithing was being carried out in the enclosure on Cluny Hill in Forres. The upper midden deposit was dated to the Early Medieval period (893–1022 AD), about a thousand years later than the lower one, about the time when the Pictish fort at Burghead was being attacked by the Vikings, and Sueno’s stone was being erected in Forres.
Michael Sharpe
Archeologist
October 2024
Acknowledgements: Thanks are owed to Jonathan Caddy, who alerted me to the presence of the shell midden deposits; to Bruce Mann of the Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service who supported the project and funded the radiocarbon dating; and to Jason Caddy of Greenleaf Design and Build who gave me access to the site and made the excavations possible.
Archaeology at the Findhorn Sanctuary Site
During preliminary groundworks for the construction of the new sanctuary, the mechanical excavator exposed a shell deposit at the east end of the site. After being notified of it, I offered to investigate further, which led to several days of excavations. These revealed that there were in fact two shell middens, one on top of the other, and separated by approximately ten centimetres of wind-blown sand. The presence of charcoal and fire-cracked stone indicate that these were not merely piles of shells, but rather the result of human activity—the collection of shellfish from Findhorn Bay, and their subsequent cooking and eating.
I assumed that these would prove to be Mesolithic, at least six thousand years old, and therefore created by our hunter–gatherer forebears. But I would not know for certain until the results of radiocarbon dating came back.
In the meantime I dug down through the midden deposits, took photographs, and collected numerous samples of the shell and other material. These samples were examined carefully in the hope of finding charcoal, seeds, fish bone, and with luck some cultural objects. These objects might range from small flint tools, to antler picks, and harpoons.
The analysis of the samples showed that the upper deposit consisted largely of mussel shells, sand, and charcoal, while the lower one was dominated by cockle shells and fire-cracked stone. The differing assemblages of shells may indicate a difference in the preferences of the two groups using the site, or they may represent changes in the shellfish in the bay over time, as some species are sensitive to changes in temperature and the composition of the substrate. Similar differences were observed in middens on the Culbin Sands in excavations there.
It would be an understatement to say that I was surprised by the radiocarbon dates when they came in. It turns out that neither deposit was Mesolithic. The lower one dated to the later Iron Age—between 172 and 48 BCE. This is a time in Scotland when many defended hill forts were occupied, as were the Broch towers in the North, and iron smithing was being carried out in the enclosure on Cluny Hill in Forres. The upper midden deposit was dated to the Early Medieval period (893–1022 AD), about a thousand years later than the lower one, about the time when the Pictish fort at Burghead was being attacked by the Vikings, and Sueno’s stone was being erected in Forres.
Michael Sharpe
Archeologist
October 2024
Acknowledgements: Thanks are owed to Jonathan Caddy, who alerted me to the presence of the shell midden deposits; to Bruce Mann of the Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service who supported the project and funded the radiocarbon dating; and to Jason Caddy of Greenleaf Design and Build who gave me access to the site and made the excavations possible.