Neolithic and Bronze Age Settlement in Angus
- CFA Archaeolgy
- Oct 1, 2023
- 2 min read
In October 2023, CFA published an article in Volume 29 of the Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal (our photography even made the front cover!). Neolithic and Bronze Age Settlement at Hatton Mill Farm, Friockheim, Angus, written by Magnus Kirby and with contributions by Ann Clarke, Melanie Johnson, Mhairi Hastie, and Mike Cressey, describes a programme of archaeological works from 2014 to 2018 at Hatton Mill Farm, Friockheim, Angus, Scotland.
Two distinct phases of occupation were identified at Hatton Mill Farm, one dating to the Early Neolithic (c. 3500 BC) and the other to the Middle Bronze Age (mid-late 2000 BC). The Early Neolithic phase comprised numerous pits, located both individually and in small groups, along with a limited amount of material culture consisting of stone tools, lithics, and pottery; this phase, however, had only possible vestigial evidence of the structures in which the people were living. In contrast, the Middle Bronze Age phase provided evidence of the structures in which people were living, but very little in the way of material culture which could have informed us about their day to day lives.
One of the artefacts recovered from the site was a grinding stone/quernstone and small grinder/pounder. The smaller grinder stone had evidence of ‘pecking’ on either end and a polished look to its flatter surface, indicating that it was used for crushing or grinding. The larger, ‘dish-shaped’ grinding stone has smooth patches where things have been ground against it, although it still has quite a lot of roughness - suggesting that it wasn’t used heavily. The specific use of this grinding stone – whether it is a quern stone (for grinding grain), a polissoir (for polishing stone axeheads), or another form of grinding stone – cannot be confidently identified. It is rather small for an Early Neolithic quern, though the flat rim around the perimeter is a feature of querns of this date.
You can find out more about this fascinating and complex site in our open access, free to read article online.
