Excavations and survey at Coats Hill, near Moffat, 1990-1

This report describes the results of the survey and sample excavations of small cairns, annular structures and other remains on Coats Hill, near Moffat. The difficulties of assessing the dates and functions of certain of the structures are discussed. The project formed part of the archaeological studies for the North Western Ethylene Pipeline (NWEP) Project for Shell Chemicals UK Ltd, which wholly funded the archaeological work and the publication of this report

Excavation of an Iron Age, Early Historic and medieval settlement and metalworking site at Eilean Olabhat, North Uist

noThe promontory site of Eilean Olabhat, North Uist was excavated between 1986 and 1990 as part of the Loch Olabhat Research Project. It was shown to be a complex enclosed settlement and industrial site with several distinct episodes of occupation. The earliest remains comprise a small Iron Age building dating to the middle centuries of the first millennium BC, which was modified on several occasions prior to its abandonment. Much later, the Early Historic remains comprise a small cellular building, latterly used as a small workshop within which fine bronze and silverwork was produced in the fifth to seventh centuries AD. Evidence of this activity is represented by quantities of mould and crucible fragments as well as tuyère and other industrial waste products. The site subsequently fell into decay for a second time prior to its medieval reoccupation probably in the 14th to 16th centuries AD. Eilean Olabhat has produced a well-stratified, though discontinuous, structural and artefactual sequence from the mid-first millennium BC to the later second millennium AD, and has important implications for ceramic development in the Western Isles over that period, as well as providing significant evidence for the nature and social context of Early Historic metalworking

Burrowing animals and archaeology

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:4316.0848(16) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Finding Vikings with Isotope Analysis: The View from Wet and Windy Islands

Identifying people of exotic origins with isotopes depends upon finding isotopic attributes that are inconsistent with the indigenous population. This task is seldom straightforward and may vary with physical geography, through time, and with cultural practices. Isotopes and trace elements were measured in four Viking Age (8th to 10th centuries A.D.) skeletons from Dublin, Ireland, and three from Westness, Orkney. These were compared with other data from these locations and contemporaneous skeletons from Britain. We conclude that the male skeletons from Dublin have disparate origins, two originating beyond the shores of Ireland, and that the female and two male skeletons from Westness are not indigenous to Orkney. However, the homeland of the female, in contrast to the males, is unlikely to be in Scandinavia

Biotechnology approaches to overcome biotic and abiotic stress constraints in legumes

Biotic and abiotic stresses cause significant yield losses in legumes and can significantly affect their productivity. Biotechnology tools such as marker-assisted breeding, tissue culture, in vitro mutagenesis and genetic transformation can contribute to solve or reduce some of these constraints. However, only limited success has been achieved so far. The emergence of “omic” technologies and the establishment of model legume plants such as Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus are promising strategies for understanding the molecular genetic basis of stress resistance, which is an important bottleneck for molecular breeding. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the expression of stress-related genes is a fundamental issue in plant biology and will be necessary for the genetic improvement of legumes. In this review, we describe the current status of biotechnology approaches in relation to biotic and abiotic stresses in legumes and how these useful tools could be used to improve resistance to important constraints affecting legume crops.E. Prats is funded by an European Marie Curie Reintegration Grant, N. Rispail by (FP5) Eufaba project. Our work in this area is supported by Spanish CICYT project AGL-2002-03248 and European Union project FP6-2002-FOOD-1-506223. K. Singh’s work in this area is supported in part by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) in Australia.Peer reviewe