Find Out How Excavations Revealed Secrets On The Hillside
September 2020
How archaeologists unearthed the story of the Bennachie Colonists is the subject of this week’s presentation from the Bailies of Bennachie. The conservation charity is detailing the discovery of the history of the Colonists for Scottish Archaeology Month this September. This week shows how excavations into the ruins of the Colony houses revealed the lives of the people who had made them their homes. The joint project between the Bailies and the University of Aberdeen concentrated on two crofts - Hillside, and Shepherd’s Lodge - on the hillside near the present day Bennachie Visitor Centre.
Bailies trustee, Dave Peter explained:
"This presentation follows the process of finding the history of the Colonists from site planning to surveying to digging and drawing. It tells how shards of pottery can help paint a picture of life on Bennachie in the 19th century. The hard work of the colonists is shown in analysis of the earth which shows how the crofters had enriched the soil in their gardens to a depth of a foot or more by clearing stones, adding the contents of the kitchen midden, ashes from the fire, organic peat from the hill, and manure from the livestock."
This is the second presentation out of four on the Bennachie Colonists which will be released during Scottish Archaeology Month this September.
Further updates are available on the Bailies Facebook site.
