One of Highland’s most experienced field archaeologists will next week give a talk in Inverness on recent archaeological discoveries in the Highland capital.
Mary Peteranna directed recent excavations on the route of the Inverness West Link Road, during which evidence of extensive prehistoric settlement was found in the areas of Canal Park and Holm Mills near the River Ness.
Archaeological remains included the bases of circular roundhouses and extensive clusters of Neolithic pits representing domestic settlement.
Pottery, stone tools and flints analysed so far have been found to date from the early to middle Neolithic period, around 3,500-3,000 BC.
Pottery fragments and the remains of kilns used for drying grain were among discoveries made at Torvean.
Bronze Age burnt mounds were also found, horse-shoe shaped piles where waste was burned repeatedly to heat stones to place in water in pits for cooking or washing.
The archaeological work undertaken during the construction of the new West Link Road has been vital for identifying the remains of the town’s ancient past, in a part of Inverness where almost no previous fieldwork had been undertaken.
Mary will discuss the context of Inverness’ overall archaeological picture with highlights of recent projects including multi-period prehistoric sites at Torvean, Canal Park and Beechwood in Inverness and the Bronze Age cemetery in Drumnadrochit.
She said: “There is so much new research material to look at for Inverness archaeology off the back of new research and new development work in the past decades. I’m really looking forward to sharing new information and looking at the archaeology of the area as a whole.”
Mary also undertook excavation at Craig Phadrig hillfort and managed the archaeological works associated with the River Ness flood alleviation scheme.
She has also directed the excavation of a Bronze Age cemetery at Armadale, Isle of Skye, and managed extensive landscape surveys, to include Kintradwell Estate near Brora and Glen Feshie and Glen Tromie near Kingussie.
She will give her talk from 2-3 pm on April 24 at the Inverness Town House.
It is organised by the Inverness Townscape Heritage Project and free to attend but should be booked here.
