The Cults Landscape Project: recent fieldwork

AOC Archaeology Group have been excavating at Cults Loch, Wigtownshire as part of the Scottish Wetland Archaeology Programme. Investigating crop mark sites around the loch, archaeologists from AOC were joined in March 2009 by local volunteers in carrying out geophysical surveys and exploratory trenching. Six trenches were excavated in total, targeting numerous features around the loch

The first two trenches targeted an unusual promontory fort on the south side of the loch, finding evidence for a series of enclosure palisades, which were added to with at least three massive enclosure ditches. A range of pits and postholes were also excavated relating to structures built on the interior of the site. A third trench found evidence for an enigmatic pit alignment, comprising several 2m long pits, arranged in rows, but with no obvious function; further work will be required to investigate the possible purpose of these features. Trench 4 uncovered a range of features within a large ditched and palisaded enclosure, including ring-grooves, postholes and pits.

A trench placed on the neck of the artificial promontory in the loch found that the site had been connected to the shore by a gravel and stone causeway, which overlay a timber structure. Radiocarbon dates for this site recently obtained have shown that it was occupied in the late Bronze/early Iron Age period.

Further work is planned at Cults Loch in the summer of 2009.

AOC Project Managers: Anne Crone and Graeme Cavers
Client: Scottish Wetland Archaeology Programme (SWAP)