ARCHAEOLOGICAL discoveries dating back more than 5000 years have been uncovered at the site of a golf course development in the Highlands.
A total of 14 excavations have been undertaken over 50 hectares at the site of the upcoming Old Petty Championship Golf Course at Cabot Highlands, east of Inverness.
Discoveries included evidence of human civilisation dating back to Neolithic times.
The digs, conducted by Avon Archaeology Highland, revealed at least 25 prehistoric wooden buildings alongside artifacts such as flint tools, quern stones, and a rare prehistoric chariot wheel.
The remains of Neolithic wooden buildings, a prehistoric ceremonial circle, a 3500-year-old Bronze Age cremation urn, and evidence for medieval field systems and grain-drying kilns were all found on site.
Andy Young, the principal archaeologist at Avon Archaeology Highland, said he was “always happy to see new archaeology emerge from the ground but some of the discoveries we have made, particularly relating to early Neolithic settlement and later prehistoric ceremonial/funerary activity, are properly exceptional”.
Young said that provisional dating indicates extensive past human activity during the earliest Neolithic (c 3600 BCE), the Bronze Age (c 2500 BCE to 750BCE), the Iron Age (c 750BCE to 500AD), the Middle Ages (13th to 15th centuries AD) and the 18th century.
“It’s humbling to think that our new championship course, Old Petty, will rest on such historically rich ground. We're proud to preserve this heritage while creating a world-class golf experience."
The firm said the findings “paint a picture of ancient life in the Highlands, from ceremonial practices to agricultural innovation, between the Middle Ages and 6000 years ago”.
Efforts have been made to ensure the preservation of key features, including the prehistoric ceremonial circle, which has been carefully reburied in-situ, Cabot said.
Young said: “Close collaboration between developer Cabot Highlands and the archaeology team has enabled the remains of the most important archaeology, for example the prehistoric palisade circle, to be protected, reburied and landscaped after archaeology investigations – the landscaped palisade circle monument now forms a clearly defined circular landscape feature alongside the fairway of Hole 7 of the new Old Petty course.
“By careful design (and detail changes) to the new course layout it has been possible to protect and preserve other significant buried archaeological remains that were identified during the evaluation (trenching) phase.
“These areas have been preserved in-situ through design and will ensure the survival of substantial areas containing buried archaeology for future generations.”
