A Bronze Age Ring-Ditch and Cremation Pit, Falkirk

An evaluation and excavation took place at Williamson Street, Falkirk in 2019 by GUARD Archaeology Ltd. CFA Archaeology were subsequently commissioned by the JR Group to undertake a programme of post-excavation analysis on the recovered materials.

The site included a ring ditch and a pit which contained a cremation urn, the finds of which were examined in this article. The cremation urn was completely intact and contained cremated human remains, three bone beads, and three bone points or pins, all of which were dated to the Early Bronze Age. This project featured multiple scientific analyses, including environmental testing of the charcoal and radiocarbon dating of the cremated bone.

Altogether, although the ring-ditch and cremation should be considered separately, both features fit within the patterns of ring-ditches and cremation burials within Scotland. The evidence from Williamson Street, Falkirk adds important data to the corpus of similar sites from Scotland, adding significantly to our knowledge of the Early Bronze Age.