Spinningdale stone chest
The short prehistoric stone chest from Spinningdale (north, 'round valley') at Keas Cottage in the far east of Sutherland in Scotland was discovered and excavated in 2011 while a septic tank was being built.
The surviving bones in the stone box built from four massive blocks and the capstone, about 1.1 by 0.6 m in size, which had been erected in a larger pit, belong to the remains of a huddled middle-aged woman with signs of joint disease. Some features of the burial and the grave goods make the box find significant.
The radiocarbon dates (2051–1911 BC and 2151–2018 BC) date the box to the early Bronze Age . A multi-zone decorated urn from the Early Bronze Age was placed in the west of the skull. The surprise was the discovery of the remains of a sheepskin under the skeletal remains. The sheepskin discovered on the left arm is the first from a Bronze Age burial site on the island. Two other samples of Bronze Age wool were found in the British Isles , but no sheepskins.
The large pit in which the box was built is also significant. At other burials in Scotland, the large pits were used to perform subsequent rituals. In contrast, the Spinningdale box was locked and thus represents an exclusive burial.
The date of the contents of the box corresponds to the chronology of the National Museum of Scotland for Scottish Food Vessel. However, the shape and distribution of these vessels is complicated because of their limited number. The found container seems to have been distributed along the Scottish east coast. It contained charred material, unidentifiable burned bones, and the fragment of a small ring. There appears to be a geographical relationship between the contents of the box and the east coast of Scotland, represented by similar burial sites and decorations there. The fact that the individual was buried facing east, facing the Dornoch Firth , is perhaps indicative of this.
See also
Web links
- Description and pictures (PDF; 1.8 MB)
Coordinates: 57 ° 52 ′ 25 ″ N , 4 ° 14 ′ 6 ″ W.