A Rectilinear Post-Built Structure, Roman Field Ovens, and Prehistoric Settlement, Perth and Kinross

Check out our article, published in the Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal (TAFAC) and available to read (for free!) online.

In this, CFA’s own Magnus discusses a roundhouse, a series of ovens, and a mysterious post-built structure excavated in 2021.

The roundhouse was dated to the Late Bronze Age, providing the earliest evidence of settlement on the site. It was associated with a small cluster of pits, identified as possible burial pits, and, therefore, provides a thought-provoking view of the relationship between life and death in prehistoric Scotland.

Next, the site included an early Roman ditch, which our team has suggested belonged to a temporary camp and was associated with nearly twenty field ovens. These ovens would have been used to cook cereal grain to feed Roman soldiers during their campaigns, and they show a glimpse of the domesticity associated with, and often forgotten about, Romano-British military campaigns.

The final big feature of the site was a rectilinear post-built structure. Based on its size, wooden post construction, and flint and stone artefacts, it was originally dated to the Neolithic. However, radiocarbon dating of material from the post holes has provided a medieval date for the structure, which has been confirmed by further investigation of the construction methods and by historical research. If so, this is an exciting example of a somewhat unknown, and mysterious, longhouse and adds significantly to our understanding of the local and surrounding areas.