Burial site find delays new Skye medical centre

BBC ^ | August 12, 2011 | unattibuted

[SunkenCiv]

An archaeologist has uncovered the remains of an ancient burial cist and pottery at the site of a new £1.3m health centre on Skye.

No human remains have been found, but further excavations and chemical tests on material recovered will delay the building project for about two weeks.

Archaeologist Steven Birch also found a cairn and an underground structure known as a souterrain.

NHS Highland said it still expected the centre to be completed by March 2012.

The finds could date from the Iron Age.

Mr Birch, of West Coast Archaeological Services, said: "There is a surprising range of important archaeological features within such a small area on the site.

"Not only did we uncover the remains of an intriguing cairn-like structure, but there were numerous other features, including a grain-drying kiln, an underground stone-lined passage and a burial cist containing a ceramic Beaker vessel.

"The site is currently being excavated by a team of Highland-based archaeologists and the investigation is revealing exciting new discoveries."

[SunkenCiv]

The finds which include pottery could date from the Iron Age

[SunkenCiv]

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[freedumb2003]

There has GOT to be a British Socialized Health Care joke in there somewhere! :)

[WoofDog123]

I was on skye a couple of weeks ago, lovely countryside and had fabulous weather. There is a clearly visible broch close to an a-road, and a map suggest there are numerous other broch remnants scattered about the island. I would be there are crop marks all over the island if you can get aerial footage. There were some other remnants I wanted to go see in the south of the isle but time didnt work out.

Perhaps more interestingly for the amateur historian, there is a good argument that the fairy flag in Dunvegan castle is Landwaster, Harald III (hardraada)’s banner he brought back from Constantinople - he died at stamford bridge, and if this is it it would have been brought to Man by a known pre-macleod survivor of the battle who fought with the norweigans. It can be seen (but not photographed) in the castle.

I guess this was near portree or broadford? the excerpt doesn’t say.

[SunkenCiv]

Wow, sounds great!

It has also been claimed that it was flown during the Crusades.

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/dunvegan.html

[WoofDog123]

Yeah, the silk is 4th-7th century silk from rhodes or syria, so there has to be a middle-eastern connection either way.

At this point everything else is speculative, but what gets my attention is that this flag has apparently always had magical powers attributed to it. So imagine this guy manages to survive stamford bridge and takes this banner along (sources disagree about whether harald had it with him when the english found him). he crosses what is today north england/southern scotland and gets over to Man where his family is, and gives the banner as a gift, or has to describe it. Hardraada allegedly said that with that banner he could not be defeated (not sure if this appears in norse kings saga or other source) but over generations the actual ownership of the flag will vanish, but the reputed powers of the flag will stick around in some mangled fashion.

I do wonder if any ancient repair work on the flag still is extant, if so the presence of thread from ‘xx’ place/date range would possibly address this conclusively.

If true (hardraada), it is certainly the closest I have ever been to a personal object owned by an 11th century monarch

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks WoofDog123!

[worst-case scenario]

What an amazing bit of history! Thanks for describing it. The castle itself looks quite impressive, as well.