Uncovering the Tweed: Community archaeology project hopes to unearth river's hidden history
Last updated 9th Oct 2024
The hidden history of the River Tweed is being explored as part of a multi-million pound project to create a new trail along the length of the river.
Adie's Brae - an Iron Age settlement near Moffat - is the first site to be excavated.
Graeme Cavers is part of the archaeology team leading the dig on Borders Forest Trust land at Ericstane.
He revealed he's hoping to find evidence which shows it was in use when the Romans arrived.
"This excavation has been chosen because we have a site there that is really interesting, because it looks like the remains of what we'd call at scooped settlement," he told Greatest Hits Radio.
Scooped settlements are enclosures that have been cut into the hillside. They are found exclusively in south-east and central southern Scotland and typically date to the Middle Iron Age (c.200BC-400AD).
Mr Cavers, a director of the AOC Archaeology Group, said: "The Borders and Dumfries and Galloway are amazing for the extent of the survival of Iron Age archaeology; it really is one of the best places in the country if you want to see visible remains of prehistoric settlements.
"The reason we've chosen this one is because we've been using aerial laser scanning, which is a method of making a really high resolution model of the landscape. And that's allowed us to identify the extent of trace remains of the settlement."
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The Destination Tweed river restoration project has launched a £360,000, three-year, community-based archaeology project to shed new light on important sites of activity along the river and surrounding area.
One of 13 Destination Tweed projects, Uncovering the Tweed will offer opportunities for people across the south of Scotland and north Northumberland to get involved in exploring the history of the Tweed and its past communities.
Week two of the dig at Ericstane got underway yesterday (Tuesday).
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Mr Cavers said: "We are starting to find quite well preserved evidence for the timber buildings that would have been inside the settlement."
And he added: "Because there's not been that many excavations on sites of this type and this period. We're keen to know more about it and to see if we can establish if it really was in use when the Romans arrived."
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Uncovering the Tweed will encourage involvement in researching, surveying and excavating sites from Moffat to Berwick.
The inclusive project will also feature citizen science with opportunities for people to learn how to identify previously unknown archaeological sites from their own homes using web-based LiDAR technology.
Specific projects within the programme will study a range of themes including historical river crossings, medieval towers, stone carvings, abandoned villages and the region’s industrial heritage. They will also investigate the prehistoric era along the Tweed and look at the broader historical landscape.
Destination Tweed Project Officer, Charlotte Douglas, said: “From prehistoric settlements to Roman forts and medieval castles, the Tweed has witnessed centuries of human history.
"Our Uncovering the Tweed project will enable local people to work alongside a team of professional archaeologists to learn new skills and help us discover more about life on the river in the past. We’re excited about what will be uncovered.”
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