Early Neolithic pits, an Iron Age ring-ditch house and associated features at Coul Brae, Mosstodloch, Moray

Abstract

Excavations at Coul Brae, Mosstodloch, Moray, revealed the remains of a multi-period site including two Early Neolithic pits containing large quantities of Carinated Bowl in the modified ‘North-East Style’, lithics, a broken saddle quern and charred oak. To the south of these features lay the remains of an Early to Middle Iron Age ring-ditch house. This contained few artefacts other than a saddle quern. Two other Iron Age features, one a possible bowl hearth and another pit containing burnt antler remains, were also excavated. An Early Historic cannel coal bangle was recovered from one of the Neolithic pits, and carbonised remains from another pit returned 1st Millennium AD dates. The excavations were conducted in advance of the proposed Fochabers to Mosstodloch bypass.

Neolithic pits and Late Bronze Age roundhouses in the Upper Ury Valley, Aberdeenshire

“…It is not unusual for activity during this period in Scotland to be largely represented by Neolithic pottery recovered from scatters of pits, and there are a number of local parallels such as Mosstodloch (Gray & Suddaby 2012) and Grantown Road, Forres (Cook 2016), both in Moray. As such, the pottery and features excavated at East Lediken and North Lediken are typical of the period.…”

“…A perforated vessel was recorded from Pit 7903. Very few other perforated vessels are recorded from this period: a vessel from Easterton of Roseisle has a series of perforations just below the rim (Henshall 1983) and seven bowls from the same site have perforations; a vessel from Camster passage grave, Caithness, apparently had perforations but was lost and has never been illustrated (Anderson 1886: 252); a perforated and lugged bag-shaped bowl was recorded at Mosstodloch, Moray (Gray & Suddaby 2012); and a perforated vessel was recorded at Newton Road, Carnoustie (White et al 2009).…”