33062: TRAIGH NA BERIE – SETTLEMENT MOUND (Undated), MIDDEN (Undated)

Summary:

SETTLEMENT MOUND (Undated)
MIDDEN (Undated)
Settlement mound

Location:

NB 1036 3552

Full description:

no. 26
This is an extensive settlement mound detectable only by the present of eroding wall fragments which are emerging from its northern edge. The mound has a sharply scarped northern edge (descending c. 4.5m) but descends much more gradually to the south and east and somewhat more sharply to the west. There are numerous surface irregularities but little visible stone and it is not clear that the site would have been identified as anthropogenic in origin other than by the eroding walling. The estimated extent of the site is c. 50m east-west by c. 30m, although only the northern edge is securely identified.
The most extensive wall fragment is eroding from the northern edge towards the eastern part of the mound. This is at least thee courses high and appears to be single-faced with small-medium angular stone. It appears also to be revetted into a stained sand and contains a dense dark brown midden material rich in shall. This midden is overlain by a sterile sand 0.056-0.1m in depth, which in turn underlies a mid-brown sand c. 0.1m of depth under slumped turf. The wall is visible in a rabbit damaged section of the mound and underlies the top of the mound in this area by c. 1.2m. The wall is clearly curving. A furterh wall fragment lies at the same level c. 6m west, this time under c. 0.9m of overburden. Other stones appear to indicate additional wall fragments eroding along this face. The relative lack of stones on the flat machair deflation surface to the north suggests that no substantial structures have yet fallen from the erosion face. It is probable, therefore, that the erosion of the mound has just begun to expose structures and archaeological deposits.
Geophysical survey demonstrated the presence of extensive deposits likely to be anthropogenic in origin.
Armit 1992, 52

References:

Ian Armit. 1992. CFA, University of Edinburgh Archaeological Field Survey of the Bhaltos (Valtos) Peninsula, Lewis.
1994. ‘Archaeological field survey of the Bhaltos (Valtos) peninsula, Lewis’, Proc Soc Antiq Scot. Part No 124. No.26

Acknowledgement:

Information provided by Western Isles Council Sites & Monuments Record, January 2006.