Roundhouses at Dunbeg
Ring ditch with charcoal deposit, image copyright Argyll Archaeology Ltd
Following on from an initial programme of evaluation trenching, carried out in 2009 and which produced truncated prehistoric features and an enclosure ditch containing post-holes (see WoSAS Event 4360), Dr Clare Ellis of Argyll Archaeology Ltd is again on site at Dunbeg to undertake a second phase of archaeological mitigation excavation. This has so far revealed a settlement of five round-houses and a scatter of pits and post-holes, all occupying a rising area of ground overlooking the bay at Dunstaffnage. Although truncated by ploughing, a fragment of what appears to be wood has been recovered from one of the post-holes, while another piece has been found in the bedding trench of one of the roundhouses. It is unclear at this stage whether this relates to the use of a sleeper beam in the foundation of the building, though if it does form part of a feature of this type, this would represent a significant departure from the normal construction technique.
Ring ditch with charcoal deposit, image copyright Argyll Archaeology Ltd