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Aberdeenshire SMR

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Site Information

Site Name	DEERS DEN
Site Type	Ard-marks; Arrowheads; Awls; Axes; Barrows; Beakers; Blades; Bowls; Burials; Camps; Cropmarks; Dating; Ditches; Enclosures; Flakes; Flints; Hearths; Hoops; Hut-stances; Knives; Latrines; Nails; Ovens; Palisades; Pins; Pitchstone; Pits; Post-holes; Pottery; Quernstones; Ring-ditches; Rings; Round-houses; Scrapper; Scythes; Slag; Slots; Souterrains; Stones; Urns; Vessels
Period	Early Medieval; Iron Age; Mesolithic; Neolithic; Roman
Parish	Kintore
Map Reference	NJ 7869 1619
Ref Number	NJ71NE0055
Description	Roman camp - Severan. Most of N and S sides of camp and fragmentary stretches of W and E sides show as cropmark. Field investigation revealed no surface indication of camp or road and no recent finds. Small excavation revealed bank 5.48m wide at base x 2.03m high. Ditch 2.43 - 3.04m wide. Two possible field ovens were found on interior of fort.In 1996 excavation was carried out by CFA in advance of the A96 Kintore bypass.A total length of 58m of the perimater ditch was exposed.It was excavated at the ditch terminal and 3 sections along its length.Fills of the ditch indicated gradual silting up.On the surface a band of gravel was noticeable along the eastern edge and represents where the defensive bank had eroded back into the ditch.No evidence for recutting visible in the main length of the ditch, although the terminal revealed clear traces of being recut by a pit.The titulus was located 12m west of the line of the perimeter ditch.It was 12m long.No diagnostic artefacts were recovered from either the fill of the perimeter ditch or the titulus.A series of pits extending along the inside edge of the camps perimeter ditch may represent the remains of a light fence respecting the line of the ditch, but difficult to demonstrate that these features were contemporary with the initial use of the camp.The excavation also revealed a dense spread of plough truncated features of various periods.This included a spread of pits containing Neolithic material : plain bowls, flint, quartz, Arran pitchstone, a leaf shaped arrowhead, and burnt hazelnut shells.One pit contained decorated sherds of either late Neolithic Impressed Ware or an urn.The remains of 4 possible structues were recorded.Structure 1 consisted of a shallow scoop containing numerous sherds of coarse pottery surrounded by truncated postholes and pits. Structure 2 was extremely truncated and consisted of a concentration of very shallow pits and stakeholes. Structure 3 consisted of a shallow circular scoop (c. 0.25m deep) and c. 10m in diameter.It had a slight ring ditch enclosing a central area c. 6m long by 4m wide, which bore traces of ard marks.There was a four post arrangement to the south-east presumably for a porched entrance.The structural timbers appear to be located around the outer edge of the scoop.Finds from this structure include portions of 2 crushed coarse ware vessels. Structure 4 consisted of an arc of burnt material and a number of postholes. There is a possible hearth in the centre of the structure.To the north and east of the burnt arc there was a shallow curvilinear slot which cut across the top of the infilled Roman ditch. In summer 2000 plans to built houses on site resulted in large scale excavation by AOC Scotland Ltd. This revealed further ring-ditch houses, souterrains, pits, field ovens, latrine pits, a Mesolithic flint scatter and a probable barrow. Watching brief in 2004 at Forrest Road site revealed shallow ditch within camp perimeter. No finds. (S Farrell). Evaluation and excavation in 2003 in advance of construction of a new Primary School revealed part of the eastern line of the Temporary Roman Camp including an entrance with titulus, fove roundhouses, 44 Roman ovens and a possible timber circle. Material recovered for Radiocarbon dating provided dates for 20 different structures.

References

ALEXANDER, D (1999)

ALEXANDER, D (1996)

ALEXANDER, D (1996)

CRAWFORD, OGS (1949)

COURTNEY, EH (1868)

Farrell, S (2004)

GALLAGHER, D.B. (1992)

HAMILTON, J. (1997)

REES, A.R. (1996)

ST.JOSEPH, JK (1969)

SHEPHERD, AN (1984)

SHEPHERD, AN (1986)

WATT, AA (1864)

ALEXANDER, D (1999)

DUNBAR, L (2006)

DUNBAR, L. (2000)

COOK, M. (2000)

COOK, M. (2002)

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