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Starting on the first day of summer, the Scotland Digs 2024 campaign celebrates the country’s world-leading archeology and raises awareness of Scotland’s connections with other parts of the world with this year’s theme “International Connections”.
Now in its sixth outing, the national campaign, coordinated by Dig It! Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The project will assemble fieldwork updates and events for the public via social media and an online hub from 20 June to 23 September.
Surveying, recording, digging and more will take place in urban and rural areas across the country, with many sites welcoming the public with tours, open days and volunteering opportunities – no experience necessary.
In the Highlands, a team from the University of Glasgow and the National Trust for Scotland are excavating features in the township of Achnacon with the hope of gaining a better understanding of the lives of those who lived in Glencoe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The settlement is only known from maps and ruins as it was abandoned during the 18th century when the land was cleared for sheep farming.
Last summer, students found pottery imported from Holland and Germany in the MacDonald chiefs’ summer house, as well as a hoard of coins from at least four different countries that may have been hidden just before or during Massacre of Glencoe 1692.
Volunteers with no previous experience are invited to help with the survey and excavation, while visitors are encouraged to watch the archeology in action from 13 to 23 June and at a free Open Day on 22 June to enjoy archaeology, traditional craft activities and more at the National Trust for Scotland Turf and Ridge House.
READ MORE: Successful awards for Ness of Brodgar excavation
The public is also invited to observe the Knowe of Swandro mine in Orkney when the Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archeology Trust returns to Rousay with the University of Bradford.
The coastal site is home to a large settlement that was occupied from around 1,000 BC to 1,200 AD. It includes Iron Age roundhouses and Pictish buildings, as well as a Viking settlement and a Norse Long Hall built by people who came mainly from Scandinavia.
Evidence of contact with the Roman Empire has also been found at the site, in the form of ancient glass fragments and coins.
The Knowe of Swandro can be visited for free between 23 June and 4 August. The team usually have Friday and Saturday off, with unexpected closings/openings posted on their Facebook page.
Towards the end of the campaign, community digs will be held at Dundonald Castle in South Ayrshire starting on 21 September. The team is looking for volunteers to help them uncover 3,500 years of history.
The stone castle that remains today was built around 1371, but stands on the site of two likely earlier castles, as well as an earlier hill fort and round houses.
The presence of imported pottery shows that the inhabitants of the hill fort, which was in use between 500 AD and 1,000 AD, were part of the trade network that extended from Europe to Scotland.
READ MORE: The five best sites in Scotland recreated through archaeology
The public is invited to have a hands-on experience in the trenches looking for evidence of previous structures, as well as finds such as pottery, metalwork, animal remains and other artefacts that could provide additional information about how the slope was used in past centuries. .
Archaeological fieldwork that welcomes visitors or volunteers also takes place at an Iron Age fort in Edinburgh with the University of Edinburgh’s Holyrood Archeology Project in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and AOC Archaeology, Bedrule Castle in the Scottish Borders with Archeology Scotland.
Other projects seeking support include a Bronze Age cemetery and an Iron Age fort in Stirling with Rampart Scotland and the Neolithic complex at Ness of Brodgar in Orkney with Friends of Ness of Brodgar and UHI Archaeology.
More fieldwork will be published throughout the campaign. Developer-led archeology carried out as part of the planning process (such as building new houses, schools or roads) will also take place over the summer.
In addition, this year’s campaign will raise awareness of the historical links between Scotland and the wider world, as well as how archeology can be used to combat harmful narratives, by highlighting projects and discoveries with international links.
This includes artefacts imported to Scotland, sites where the inhabitants or builders have come from another part of the world, and finds that show the historical exchange of ideas or technology.
For anyone wanting to follow online, fieldwork organizers will be posting updates on social media using #ScotlandDigs2024.
Dr Jeff Sanders FSAScot, Project Manager with Dig It! The Scottish Society of Antiquaries said the project: “Archaeology is about piecing together stories from the past and Scotland Digs 2024: International Connections will highlight that Scotland’s story has always been intertwined with the wider world.
“As well as coordinating events, organizations across the country will be sharing information about their projects and discoveries that tell the story of the far-reaching trade networks, cultural exchange, and human migration that shaped what is now Scotland.
“From the Palaeolithic period when the first groups of hunter-gatherers walked here from what is now mainland Europe over 12,800 years ago to the immigrants who enrich the archeology sector today, the campaign will emphasize that Scotland’s stories belong to everyone, no matter where you are born or how you got here.”
Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) added: “With such a wide range of events available and the opportunity for people at any level to get involved and learn more about archeology in Scotland, we’re delighted way to continue to support the essential work of Dig It!.
“The program on offer will encourage people to engage with over 5,000 years of history, and this year’s aim to highlight archaeological links not only across the country, but across the world, will demonstrate the continuing importance of built heritage on an international scale.”
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