Dating news

Our latest batch of radiocarbon dates has come back from the lab - they were all remarkably close and lend weight to our interpretation of the 5th-6th century AD being the floruit of the site when the big palisaded enclosure, outer ditch entrance structure and even the timber halls were built.  I didn't rush out and buy a bottle of champagne like I did when the first batch came back as Pictish, but there was definitely some showing off of calibrated dates in the office. 
In other news, we are gearing up for more fieldwork in 2013.  We're letting the main site rest a bit this year and turning our attentions to some of the 'environs' aspects we still have questions about.  Looking forward to going back to Rhynie and we'll post some more details of dates and open days/events closer to the time!

Absolutely Scan-Tastic!

Thanks to the great support of our council archaeologists at Aberdeenshire Archaeology Service, we've successfully had the original Rhynie Man sculpture laser scanned this past weekend! This was a massive undertaking done by professionals from Liverpool Museum.  The laser scan should provide us with a high quality 3D dataset.  By analysing this dataset, we should be able to ask questions about how the stone was carved, the full details of the carving and it will also provide some amazing images (we hope to post some soon!). 
In our dreams we see a 3D replica being made someday based on this work...

I know I want one for my garden, but I'm not sure I have the space!

In other news - we head to the already sold-out conference in Edinburgh this weekend - Scotland in Early Medieval Europe - to catch up with all the other exciting research on the best period in history and to present a paper of our own.  Gordon has also just returned from a whirlwind trip to Oxford to showcase Rhynie and other work he's been doing on Pictish power centres.  Word is they were buzzing about our fantastic site. Quite right, too!

Love Archaeology

Happy 2013! 
Rhynie appears as one of the features in the new online magazine 'Love Archaeology' - you can check it out at this address: http://lovearchmag.tumblr.com/issue3
Still lots of 'inside' work happening - plotting for upcoming seasons, lots of meetings, grant applications and planning of research papers and museum exhibits and conferences galore!

Rhynie Village Meeting: Great Success!

Last night Dr G gave a talk at Rhynie village to around 120 community folks on a cold November evening. The latest results of the project were outlined and amazing new X-ray images of the Rhynie artefacts were on show.

Most importantly though the village pulled out all the stops and made Rhynie Men gingerbread! Not only was this the tastiest gingerbread on the planet, it was made with an amazing cookie cutter specially made by the Scottish Sculpture Workshop.

Delicious home-made Rhynie Men!

Thanks to everyone attending. I can't decide though whether to keep my last Rhynie Man biscuit as an icon worthy of museum preservation or to have it will a nice cup of tea for elevenses....

 - Gordon

Pin X-Ray! Amazing!

A few days ago up in Aberdeen, we had specialists look at our iron artefacts and run them through a high-tech X-ray.  This is in advance of conservation going ahead on the objects to make sure they are protected and preserved.  The most amazing result was from our unique iron axe-shaped pin.  The X-ray allows us to 'see through' the corrosion on the artefact and will give the conservator a clear idea of where the real edges of the pin are.  The X-ray showed how delicate the spriral decoration is coming off the axe-head and also what looks like a loop at the top of the pin.  This might mean that at one time there was a chain or strap attached to the pin (to help keep it in place on your cloak, for example) or perhaps the object was also meant to be hanging like a pendant.  Ewan is on the case investigating the X-ray and the conservator is excited about how fantastic an object this is. There may even be hints that the spiral is an animal, but we need another X-ray to think about that option! Gordon and I are ectastic! There was some dancing around over the phone.... we admit it.

A snapshot of our x-ray - a beautiful thing!

REAP Update

We may not be digging, but there is a lot of furious activity going on inside these days.  Gordon has been 'washing cremated bone' (he does need a hobby....) from the site.  Provisional identifications suggest it is actually animal bone.  It is much more intensely fired than just normal burnt animal bone for cooking, so this adds an interesting puzzle to the mix.  We found burnt bone in almost every feature at Rhynie, so it is pretty important for us to figure out what it was doing there and what date it is.  Hopefully we have enough to secure a few radiocarbon dates to help us with the puzzle.
Meggen is off to Cardiff on Thursday to present Rhynie at the Cardiff Archaeology Research Seminars (http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/share/newsandevents/events/archaeology/cardiff-archaeology-research-seminars-2012-to-2013.html).

There was a little disappointment over the past month, too.  Gordon did some fieldwork at another site in Aberdeenshire with a palisaded enclosure with a timber hall inside (visible in an AP).  We had thought this might be a good parallel to Rhynie - until Gordon found post-medieval pottery at the bottom of the palisade trench! So an interesting addition to post-medieval rural archaeology, but it means Rhynie still stands out as one very unique Pictish place!

Crucibles!

Ewan has sent a great photograph which highlights even more metalworking evidence from the site.  These sherds of crucibles (little clay vessels for melting material like copper) were found in the destruction material from the outer ditch.  Mike B's eagle eye picked them out, as fresh from the ground they looked like bits of burnt stone.  Meggen's talk at the Chester Archaeological Society went well the other night - lots of people seem to now be planning to visit The Craw Stane on their holidays!