Monument record MHG55811 - Late Bronze Age pit - Slackbuie Way, Inverness

A watching brief in 2010 by GUARD along the proposed line of the Inverness Flood Relief scheme south of Inverness at Slackbuie following previous evaluation and excavation phases produced evidence of prehistoric occupation. The work covered a linear route from Essich Road (NH 656 414) to Culduthel Road (NH 668 414) in the west and an area of land at Slackbuie in the east.

In Area B a total of 13 features were exposed and excavated spread across the area but with two loose clusterings. All the features were pits containing charcoal, burnt bone fragments, hazelnut shell fragments and in several, fragments of prehistoric pottery. <1>

Post-excavation work, including the obtaining of radiocarbon dates and environmental sample analysis has further refined the dating of the features found in Area B of the watching brief. One of the pits, 054, contained two deposits. The later of these contained body and rim sherds of a late Bronze Age Cordoned Ware urn whereas the earlier deposit contained early Neolithic pottery (see MHG55810). This may have been deliberate or accidental re-use of an earlier feature. <2>

<1> Kilpatrick, M C, 07/2010, Inverness Flood Relief Channel: Data Structure Report (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG25320.

<2> Kilpatrick, M.C., 2012, Relieving Floods, Revealing History: Early Prehistoric Activity at Knocknagael Farm in South-West Inverness (Text/Publication/Article). SHG23404.