Cremation practices and the creation of monument complexes: the Neolithic cremation cemetery at Forteviot, Strathearn, Perth & Kinross, Scotland, and its comparanda

Around the beginning of the 3rd millennium cal bc a cremation cemetery was established at Forteviot, central Scotland. This place went on to become one of the largest monument complexes identified in Mainland Scotland, with the construction of a palisaded enclosure, timber structures, and a series of henge monuments and other enclosures. The cemetery was established between 3080 and 2900 cal bc, probably in the 30th century cal bc, which is contemporary with the cremation cemetery at Stonehenge. Nine discrete deposits of cremated bone, representing the remains of at least 18 people, were identified. In most instances they were placed within cut features and, in one case, a series of cremation deposits was associated with a broken standing stone. This paper includes the first detailed assessment of the cremated remains at Forteviot and the features associated with the cemetery, and explores how the establishment of this cemetery may have been both a catalyst and inspiration for the elaborate monument building and prolonged acts of remembrance that occurred at this location over a period of almost 1000 years. The paper also outlines the parallels for Forteviot across Britain and, for the first time, draws together the dating evidence (including Bayesian modelling) for this major category of evidence for considering the nature of late 4th/early 3rd millennium cal bc society. The results and discussion have wide implications and resonances for contemplating the establishment and evolution of monument complexes in prehistoric Britain and beyond

The Monumental Cemeteries of Northern Pictland

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Itinerancy, Ritualisation and Excavating Understanding

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New dates for enclosed sites in north-east Scotland : results of excavations by the Northern Picts project

The fieldwork conducted as part of this programme of investigation was funded by donations to the University of Aberdeen Development Trust and through funding by Historic Environment Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service. Thanks to the colleagues who gave advice and support for the investigations: Bruce Mann, Strat Halliday, Ian Ralston, Fraser Hunter and Ewan Campbell. The writing of this article was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award (RL-2016-069). Strat Halliday read through earlier versions of this article, but any errors as always remain the authors’ responsibilityPeer reviewedPostprin

Early medieval hilltop and enclosed settlements of Scotland during the first millennium AD

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Survey and Excavation at an Iron Age Enclosure Complex on Turin Hill and Environs

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A hut on the hill : a multi-proxy microbotanical and micro-algae approach to a Pictish roundhouse floor at Cairnmore, Aberdeenshire

Acknowledgements Special thanks to Shanti Morell-Hart for her continued support and useful comments on earlier drafts of this article. Thank you to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that greatly improved this article. This work is part of Shalen Prado’s doctoral research at McMaster University, carried out on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga First Nations, and funded by McMaster University’s Anthropology Department. Fieldwork at Cairnmore has been funded by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust, Historic Environment Scotland, and the Leverhulme Trust. The writing of this article was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award (RL-2016-466 069). Special thanks as well to Nadia Cavallin at the Royal Botanical Garden (Burlington) for providing modern plant samples which contributed to the McMaster Microbotanical Research Database and this study.Peer reviewedPostprin

A new chronology for crannogs in north-east Scotland

This article presents the results of a programme of investigation which aimed to construct a more detailed understanding of the character and chronology of crannog occupation in north-east Scotland, targeting a series of sites across the region. The emerging pattern revealed through targeted fieldwork in the region shows broad similarities to the existing corpus of data from crannogs in other parts of the country. Crannogs in north-east Scotland now show evidence for origins in the Iron Age. Further radiocarbon evidence has emerged from crannogs in the region revealing occupation during the 9th–10th centuries ad, a period for which there is little other settlement evidence in the area. Additionally, excavated contexts dated to the 11th–12th centuries and historic records suggest that the tradition of crannog dwelling continued into the later medieval period. The recent programme of fieldwork and dating provides a more robust foundation for further work in the region and can help address questions concerning the adoption of the practice of artificial island dwelling across Scotland through time

Assessing the ploughzone : The impact of cultivation on artefact survival and the cost/benefits of topsoil stripping prior to excavation

Fieldwork at Rhynie has been funded by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust, British Academy, Historic Environment Scotland, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service. The writing of this article was also supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award (RL-2016-069). Staff from Historic Environment Scotland and Dr Karen Milek, University of Durham read and commented on drafts of the text and we extend our thanks to them. Thanks also to two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the text. As always any remaining errors are our own.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Burning Matters : the Rise and Fall of an Early Medieval Fortified Centre. A New Chronology for Clatchard Craig

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This article is dedicated to the work of Roy Ritchie, Richard Hope-Simpson and Joanna Close-Brooks who rescued important information and material in less than ideal circumstances from which this re-interpretation of the sequence at Clatchard Craig has been made possible. Thanks to the colleagues who gave advice and support for the re-dating programme: Edouard Masson-Maclean identified the animal bone samples to species and Zena Timmons and Jerry Herman from the Natural Sciences department, National Museums Scotland, arranged access for sampling. Derek Hamilton undertook the sampling at SUERC. Stratford Halliday and Joanna Close-Brooks read through early drafts of the article and provided many insightful and useful comments. The writing of this article, the radiocarbon dating and additional costs was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award (RL-2016-069).Peer reviewedPublisher PD