The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Dig at Dunkeld hillfort unearths rare artefacts
Findings support theory powerful chieftain once ruled from the ‘Fort of the Caledonians’
They feared they might unearth little more than tree roots, but the team behind the first ever dig at a Perthshire hillfort have discovered so much more.
Within days of starting excavation at King’s Seat, above Dunkeld, the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and its partners have recovered stunning artefacts.
They include moulds that may once have been used in the creation of metal objects by skilled craftspeople and querns once used for grinding grain.
The items give weight to the belief that a powerful chieftain once ruled from the so-called Fort of the Caledonians.
They could also help archaeologists to accurately date the habitation of the fort and begin to piece together its lifespan for the first time.
Project leader Sarah Malone said: “Having only just started digging, to make such exciting finds bodes well for the next weeks, months and years.
“They show that this was indeed a high status site. Such rare items would not be found at a lesser site.
“The people who once used these moulds for metalwork would have been highly skilled and may have moved from site to site offering their services to those who could afford it.”
The items were discovered on the fourth day of digging by the trust, local volunteers and experts from AOC Archaeology.
A stone mould once used for shaping molten metal was among the first finds, before fragments of a crucible were then recovered from the same trench.
Sarah believes the mould will provide evidence of many years of habitation as she said that it had begun life as a quern for grinding grain and formed part of a wall in its later life.
Radio carbon dating of the stone object may help to date the hillfort.
The latest amateur archaeologists to join the team on-site were pupils from Breadalbane Academy, who enjoyed science workshops with AOC Archaeology and were also invited to grab a trowel.
Pupils from Dunkeld Primary will climb the hill today to begin their own exploration.
The King’s Seat Hillfort Community Archaeology Project will continue for the next three years. It has been backed by the Dunkeld and Birnam community and supported by Heritage Lottery, the Gannochy Trust and the Scottish and Southern Electric Community Fund.