ARCHAEOLOGICAL finds at a Moray building site have been described as exciting by experts.
Burial memorials are among the evidence of an Iron Age settlement uncovered on the latest Springfield Properties housing development on Grantown Road, near Forres.
Archaeologists said some finds could hold key evidence for research into the neolithic period, sometimes referred to as the New Stone Age. They include pottery, metal and ironwork which show people occupied the area before it became an Iron Age farm.
Construction work is on hold until Edinburgh-based AOC Archaeology completes its examination of the Knockomie Meadows site.
The finds suggest a late Iron Age occupation from around 600AD, with evidence of a food storage pit, round houses and fencing for animals.
The site is thought to have been occupied during neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman times. Previous digs in a field next to the current site in 2007 and 2008 indicated people lived in the area more than 2,000 years ago.
Archaeological digs on any other developments in the area are now recommended by Moray Council’s archaeological advisers, Aberdeenshire County Archaeology Service (ACAS), which also covers Moray and Angus.
Springfield Properties, which started construction of the site at the end of April, is paying for the digs.
Bruce Mann, archaeologist for ACAS, said: “This area is very rich in history. These finds are extremely valuable to our national understanding of the neolithic period, which we still do not know much about.”
AOC project manager Martin Cook said: “We’ve known for a long time that it’s a very prolific area for archaeological finds, but what we are getting evidence of now is really very exciting. Not a lot of work has been done on the Iron Age in the Moray area so it’s great that we’re opening up the extensive prehistoric history at Grantown Road.”
Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal
