Pictish settlement in Scotland 'one of the most significant" historic finds of 2020

That discovery joins the find of 5,000-year-old textiles and hundreds of medieval skeletons as among the top finds according to the senior antiquarian body of Scotland.

The Edinburgh-based Society of Antiquaries of Scotland says that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the Scottish archaeological sector, with the majority of commercial archaeology being brought to a standstill during the lockdown and most community-led groups unable to continue their work at all.

But they said that archaeologists and volunteers still managed to uncover new details about Scotland’s past in the lab and on site and has compiled some of the most important discoveries.

Many had thought the Aberdeenshire hillfort settlement dated from the Bronze or Iron Age.

But the researchers said carbon dating suggested it was likely to be Pictish, dating back as far as the third century AD.

Scotland's largest Pictish site

This information, combined with drone surveys and laser technology, later revealed as many as 800 huts within the fort described as “potentially verging on urban in scale”.

The hillfort is one of the largest-known ancient settlements ever discovered in the UK.

They researchers said that at its height it may have rivalled the largest known post-Roman settlements in Europe.

The Picts dominated parts of Scotland for centuries and were first mentioned in late Roman writings as a collection of troublesome social groupings.

They disappeared from written records around 1,100 years ago, and the society said that every discovery helps fill another gap in this "enigmatic" period of Scottish history.

It is hoped that more excavations can take place in 2021 and that people will visit Aberdeenshire to explore the site when it is safe to travel.

Dr Jeff Sanders, project manager at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s Dig It! project, said: “Archaeology is all about discovering Scotland’s stories and these are just some of the new chapters that have been added despite the pandemic.

"As Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy reminds us, archaeology is for everyone, so we hope you’ve been inspired to get involved in 2021 when it’s safe to do so.”

Also highlighted is new evidence that Scotland's famous textile industry stretched back thousands of years - with the oldest evidence of fabric found in Orkney.

Scotland’s oldest woven cloth (Credit - Jan Blatchford & Ness of Brodgar)

Evidence of woven Neolithic textile has been confirmed at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute research excavation at the Ness of Brodgar in June.

Only one other such example has been found in Scotland.

The archaeologists at the site did not physically have a piece of 5,000-year-old fabric, but the impression it left when pressed against the wet clay of a pot.

At the time there was only one other piece of evidence suggesting the use of woven textiles in Neolithic Scotland - another clay imprint discovered in 1966 in Dumfries and Galloway.

The discoveries camne to light during a project started in 2019 at the Archaeology Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands by Jan Blatchford and Roy Towers to closely examine impressions left on the surfaces of sherds of Grooved Ware pottery unearthed at the Ness.

The Ness of Brodgar team has been investigating this massive complex of monumental Neolithic buildings since 2012, but all excavation and fieldwork was put on hold this year due to the pandemic. The team plans to resume their work in 2021 with tours and open days for members of the public.

The skeletons discovery was made in July when lockdown was lifted in the summer.

Archaeologists began unearthing skeletons and artefacts from a medieval cemetery in Leith that were to be affected by the work to extend the Edinburgh Tram line to Newhaven.

The discovery of over 350 burials could date as far back as 1300.

On the first day, the professional team from Guard Archaeology Ltd had already exhumed more than ten bodies which dated back from between 1300 and 1650, as well as finding the apparent remnants of the original medieval graveyard wall.

The original archaeological work began in November 2019 but ground to a halt at the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures.

Initial discoveries during the earlier four-month dig included whale remains which left experts baffled.

The whale bones, which could date back as far as 800 years, were identified by experts at the National Museum of Scotland and may have uncovered new evidence of the city’s centuries-old “defences” from sea attacks. Carbon dating tests are to be carried out to determine whether the bones may date back to the medieval era and Leith’s first settlements.

Amy Eastwood, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Despite a lot of archaeological work being put on hold this year due to the pandemic, the sector has continued to unearth exciting discoveries. This archaeological work is crucial to our understanding of Scotland’s past, and we’re delighted to support and promote the fantastic work being carried out throughout the country.”