The Archaeogy of the Findhorn and Culbin Dunes

Iron Age finds

A small number of finds indicate an Iron Age presence at the Findhorn Dunes Site. They are small, often fragmentary, and widely scattered. Included here are several which we cannot be certain about, but which may be Iron Age in date. The presence of quern stones suggests a settlement, and agriculture, but can the dunes have been suitable for cereal growing in the Iron Age? Coles and Taylor (1973) in excavating a Bronze Age midden at the southern edge of the Culbin Sands concluded that the presence of animal bones in the midden, in an area unsuitable for agriculture or the raising of animals, suggested that the occupants may have been rustling cattle from farm land to the south. Could the Iron Age people at the Findhorn site have been doing this as well? There is good evidence for a settlement just a kilometre to the south, on what is now Cullerne Farm, where cropmarks suggest at least two roundhouses, and other features.

Two small Iron Age beads. The yellow one is probably a Guido Class 8 bead (Guido 1978), while the blue one most resembles small, translucent blue cylindrical beads found in fourth- to fifth-century graves at Lankhills Cemetery, Winchester—a suspected mix of Roman and Teutonic graves (Guido 1978 p 95). The yellow bead was found lying amongst scattered shell fragments on a midden. The blue bead, curiously, was found right next to several Bronze Age faience bead fragments. Photo coutesy Alison Sheridan, National Museums Scotland.
This is a fragment of a sandstone rotary quern. The surface curves upwards towards the edge (left side), and displays the high polish that is created through the grinding of grains, where high spots on the stone are reduced and smoothed over time. It was found on the surface, several hundred metres away from most of the finds on the site.
This saddle quern fragment may date from the earlier Iron Age, or equally, from the Bronze Age or Neolithic. Like the rotary quern fragment, above, it displays in places the high polish resulting from much use. And similarly, it appears to have been deliberately broken. Though we can’t know for certain, it’s possible these stones were broken when their owner died, or to signify some other ‘end of an era’ event.

Steatite vessel sherds

A cluster of steatite vessel sherds was found many years ago on the site, separate from all the other find spots, which has been typical of the all the Iron Age finds so far. The vessel may have been a small cup or lamp. This sort of vessel has been found on many Iron Age sites in Scotland, including brochs. They are also found on sites from later cultures, such as the Norse. Unless stylistically identifiable as Norse, chances are they are Iron Age.

Some examples of steatite vessels found in northern Scotland from the collections of the Dunrobin Castle Museum.