Sands of Forvie
The Sands of Forvie are a nature reserve about 20 km north of Aberdeen in Aberdeenshire in Scotland . The 734 hectare area includes one of the most geomorphologically active shifting dune systems in the UK and is part of Natura 2000 .
Shell Middens
The Sands of Forvie are home to Pictish shell middens ( prehistoric rubbish heaps ). These clam heaps, on either side of the Ythan estuary , have been known for more than a century. They are usually the result of extensive prehistoric activity. However, recent excavations show that at least one of the piles indicated evidence of early Middle Ages activity.
The excavation was carried out in 2010 on one of the largest clam heaps (Midden A) on the Sands of Forvie, in response to the ongoing erosion . The shell layer is 2.9 m thick, over 35 m long and is divided into two deposition phases. The visible part is a layer of mussels about 0.6 m thick in the upper part of the eroding section. This lay on a sand dune up to 1.3 m thick, which had laid over the previous deposits. This kept an old fireplace intact. This consisted of a layer of stone on which charcoal was found. The fireplace is interpreted as a cooking pit for opening the mussels, as found in many ethnographic contexts. Only one or two stone tools were found from the material culture of the users. On the other hand, there were clamshells stacked by humans.
Six radiocarbon dates were obtained from different heights. The data came as a surprise as the lowest values were AD 325–555 and the highest were AD 715–985. However, there was no evidence of early medieval activity in or around the clam pile. This evidence finds parallels in Denmark, where a number of large Køkkenmøddinger from the Iron and Viking Age are recorded.
In 2011, the Forvie stone circle was exposed after a storm in the sands.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Sands of Forvie, Special Area of Conservation , page of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Web links
Coordinates: 57 ° 18 ′ 55.9 ″ N , 1 ° 59 ′ 2.8 ″ W.