SAIR 25:Excavation of a Bronze Age funerary site at Loth Road, Sanday, Orkney

by Paul M Sharman
with contributions by Diane Alldritt, Ann Clarke, Ann MacSween, Effie Photos-Jones & Julie Roberts

ISBN 0 903903 95 4

Published in May 2008 by The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in association with The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, in Adobe Acrobat format. Available free of charge (see Terms & Conditions of Use).

Report Summary

Excavations in 1991 beside Loth Road, Sanday, revealed a funerary site, including two cists, which contained cremated human bone, and several pits. The cremation burial in one of the cists was contained in a soapstone vessel. These features presented evidence for the sorting, selection and differential deposition of pyre remains. The cists and pits were surmounted by a kerbed cairn of unusual construction. Radiocarbon dates from the pits placed the site in the Early to Middle Bronze Age.

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Report content

	Title Page
	Table of Contents
	List of Illustrations
	List of Tables
1	Summary
2	Introduction
	2.1 Location
	2.2 Discovery and survey
	2.3 Excavation
3	Excavation Results
	3.1 Structure 1
	3.2 Structure 2
	3.2.1 Pits
	3.2.2 'Boxes'
	3.2.3 Cists
	3.2.4 Spreads and cobble setting
	3.2.5 The kerb
	3.2.6 The cairn
4	The Cremated Human Remains by Julie A Roberts
	4.1 Introduction
	4.2 Results
	4.2.1 Species and minimum number of individuals (MNI) present
	4.2.2 Age at death and sex
	4.2.3 Pathology and non-metric traits
	4.2.4 Mortuary practice
5	Identification and Analysis of Carbonized Plant Remains by Diane Alldritt
	5.1 Introduction
	5.2 Methodology
	5.3 Discussion
6	The Technical Characterization of Cramp by Effie Photos-Jones
	6.1 Introduction
	6.2 Weight, size and texture
	6.3 Analytical methods
	6.3.1 ICP-OES analysis
	6.3.2 SEM-EDAX analysis
	6.4 Results
	6.4.1 ICP-OES analysis
	6.4.2 SEM-EDAX analysis
	6.5 Conclusion
7	Comment on the Pottery by Ann MacSween (with additional note by Paul Sharman)
8	Coarse Stone Report by Ann Clarke
	8.1 Description
	8.1.1 Flaked stone bars
	8.1.2 Ard
	8.1.3 Flint
	8.1.4 Flaked flagstone
	8.2 Context
	8.3 Discussion
9	The Steatite Vessels by Paul M Sharman
	9.1 Introduction
	9.2 Description of SF18
	9.2.1 Size and shape
	9.2.2 Stone and condition
	9.2.3 Tooling
	9.2.4 Accretions
	9.3 Description of SF19
	9.3.1 Size and shape
	9.3.2 Stone and condition
	9.3.3 Tooling
	9.3.4 Accretions
	9.4 Discussion
	9.4.1 Source
	9.4.2 Manufacture
	9.4.3 Function
	9.4.4 Form, parallels and dates
10	Discussion
	10.1 Mortuary activities and products
	10.1.1 Cremation
	10.1.2 Fuel
	10.1.3 Collection and deposition
	10.2 Ritual, display and commemoration
	10.3 The Orcadian context
	10.4 The living
11	Conclusion
12	Acknowledgements
13	References

Published by The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in association with The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, in Adobe Acrobat format. Available free of charge (see Terms & Conditions of Use).

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Page last modified by Seren Langley on Thursday 26 May 2008.