Monument record MHG55798 - Neolithic pit - new Inverness Police Headquarters

A pit containing neolithic pottery and three waste flint flakes was recorded during a watching brief by Cannich Archaeological Services in 1997 on the site of the new Police headquarters buildings in Inverness. It was cut into the subsoil towards the southwest end of the site. It first showed as a circular area of dark soil after the stripping of the topsoil and was the only feature of its type on the site. It was approximately 0.8m in dameter and 0.2m deep, but it had been truncated. Nine sherds of Grooved Ware of the late neolithic period, in use between 3200 and 2000BC, were recovered. They were from a bucket-shaped vessel and the pottery was similar to that from Skara Brae in Orkney. The sherds had apparently been laid flat in the central area. No definite base sherds were found. A reddened sandstone slab was also recovered at the same level. Three waste flakes of flint were also recovered from the pit. In addition a flint cobble was found on the northeast side of the site at the base of the topsoil. <1>

<1> Kenworthy, J., 1997, Report on a watching brief during ground clearance at the New Police Headquarters, Inverness, September 1997 (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG21195.