Excavation

Archaeological Excavation

Whilst it is true that archaeological landscape survey can reveal a great deal about patterns of past land use, there are certain questions that can only be answered by careful excavation and recording. Excavation can produce a wide range of data, including artefacts, organic material, and information about buried structures. When combined with contextual information that records precise positional relationships between objects and structures, it is often possible  to produce a three-dimensional site recording and to date the period of occupation. This information can then be used to reconstruct the historic environment and to interpret patterns of past human activity at the site.

The Peeblesshire Archaeological Society has conducted several excavations in the past, including one which unearthed shieling huts and an illicit still on Minch Moor, close to the village of Traquair.
Presently, there is ongoing survey and excavation at Shootinglee, a ruined forest stead (farmhouse) approximately two miles south west of Traquair Village.

Full details and published reports of our excavations can be found here.