Members’ Update – October 2015
As we near the end of the year we must congratulate ourselves on a successful season for archaeology in Caithness. Andy Heald and John Barber’s Caithness Archaeology book launch at Castlehill was a happy occasion. Copies are selling well in various outlets.
Bronze Age project (Castletown Heritage Society)
The summer-long Bronze Age project run by Castletown Heritage Society and delivered by AOC, based on Lidar surveys of the Baillie Wind Farm area has involved many enthusiastic amateur and professional archaeologists on the North coast while the Joseph Anderson 150 celebrations, organised by Yarrows Heritage Trust, and Glasgow and Cardiff Universities, pulled all the stops on the East coast. Both events have engaged the public in a huge variety of related activities, stimulating the interest of visitors and locals, young and not so young.
Swartigill burn excavation
Meanwhile UHI and Yarrows Heritage Trust have been excavating at Swartigill burn where a post medieval township overlies an Iron Age site.
CAT can offer support and guidance to other groups and individuals in their particular approach to our county’s archaeological past.
We have some planned events to inform you about.
Next month our chair, Meg Sinclair,will lead a walk over Wag of Forse ( details to follow)
In February we welcome Caroline Wickham-Jones to Caithness to talk on the Mesolithic in Orkney with special reference to her underwater research on Loch Stenness.
Boyne to Brodgar
CAT has also recently expressed its interest in the county being involved in an exciting major project called Boyne to Brodgar which aims to address some outstanding archaeology questions about the Neolithic Age in Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: more news of this very soon.
Two day conference on archaeology
CAT is planning to run a two day conference on archaeology to celebrate the Scottish Government’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017. We are presently drawing up a list of possible speakers. If you would like to suggest someone, please let us know.
CAT membership continues to grow, with people showing a strong interest in our past and how it can best be studied, protected and presented to those who are not so familiar with it.