News
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More Digging at Tarradale! In Autumn 2023, the Tarradale Archaeological Team (TAT) reopened and extended a Mesolithic shell midden trench dug in 2017. Here, several important antler tools had been previously discovered which were dated to over 6000 years old. The 2023 excavation found a further antler "T axe" (right) - 3 out of the known 6 Scottish examples of this tool have now been found at Tarradale! Finds sorting from the dig is currently taking place on Sundays. TAT is the successor to the highly successful Tarradale Through Time Project. The 2022 publication, Tarradale Through Time: Community Archaeology on the Black Isle is available now from this website at £9.99. -
See all of our recorded talks on our YouTube page, including recent lectures by Duncan Garrow and Stuart Jeffreys. In 2023 we celebrated 25 years of NOSAS with talks by Adrian Maldonado of NMS about his research in the Pictish and Viking eras - see the video here - and Tony Pollard on the archaeology of Culloden Battlesite - see video, Tony also led a fascinating battlesite tour. -
NOSAS's Crannog Project has investigated several sites recently - Loch Achilty and Loch Kinellan amongst them - and in September 23 members were busy on the Isle of Tiree. Read the most recent blog here. Timbers recovered from the Loch Achility crannog have recently been dated to the Medieval period and we hope to dig there with the Nautical Archaeological Society in Autumn 2024.
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Thank you Glen Wyvis Distillery Goodwill Fund for funding the repair of our map. The missing 1829 map of the Ord Estate, near Muir of Ord, was traced to Somerset and it has just returned to the Highlands. However, it is a little the worse for wear, so NOSAS has undertaken to get it repaired at the the Highland Archive. It will then be scanned, digitised, and uploaded to the NLS website.
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See also recent Blog Posts on The Road between Dingwall and Poolewe, the archaeology of Petty Bay and its Saltwater Mill (read the report here), and the Prehistoric Cairns of Assynt.
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NOSAS, along with the help of other organisations, has recently been clearing vegetation from two scheduled sites in the area - Carn Glas Chambered Cairns at Essich, near Inverness, and Teanagairn Henge at Culbokie. Read Jonathan's blog, BBC News and the Current Archaeology article. -
In Nov 22 NOSAS returned to the distillery and settlement site at Mulchaich, Easter Ross, to remove gorse which was obscuring much of the archaeology. Following the clearance, aerial images and photogrammetry were produced by Andy Hickie (right). It is thought that Ferintosh whisky may have been produced at Mulchaich in the late 1700s, Read more. Metal detecting, resistivity and magnetrometry at the site are being carried out in 2023/4.
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A New Boat Graveyard! In April 2022, a group of NOSAS members led by Jo Hambly and Tom Dawson from SCAPE walked the northern shore of Munlochy Bay. An old harbour with derelict boats was known about. However what wasn't known about was that just west of the harbour was a line of about ten derelict fishing boats (right), drawn up between high and low water marks. These were boats from the Avoch fishing fleet, left here when they were surplus to requirements. SCAPE led a detailed survey of all these boats in April/ May 23 along with NOSAS and the Nautical Archaeological Society. See drone video footage and talk by Jo.
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Professor Kate Britton gave a fascinating talk to NOSAS about the mobility and early childhood origins of early medieval Scots (ie Picts!). This is now available to watch on the NOSAS YouTube channel. See also the recent Talk by Gordon Noble given to NOSAS. Kate, Gordon and members of the Rosemarkie Caves Project (formerly part of NOSAS) also feature in a recently aired TV programme about Rosemarkie Man. A new video podcast about Rosemarkie Man can also be seen here.
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NOSAS members ventured into upper Glen Cannich in Summer 2021 to visit an area normally submerged under the Mullardoch dam. They recorded a number of hut circles, amongst other features. These were recently radiocarbon dated to the Iron Age. Read the blog post here.
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Check out the posts on the NOSAS Blog - there's a huge range of articles. And visit our impressive Survey Reports Page where you can access over 20 years worth of past survey and project reports!
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A previously unknown Pictish cross slab, discovered by NOSAS members near Conon Bridge, was unveiled at Dingwall Museum in December 2020. A successful fundraising campaign had The Conan Stone removed from its find site, professionally conserved and then installed on permanent display in the museum. See the Blog Post, Conan Pictish Stone page and video.