New SAIR Released: recent discoveries on the streets of Musselburgh

Submitted by Seren Langley on Mon, 2009-05-18 10:44
in

The newest publication of the Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports (SAIR 30) series is out now!

SAIR Logo The CBA has hosted SAIR publications since its conception and pilot in 2001. In all, there are now 29 released with more planned for the future, including the much anticipated Scotland’s First Settlers (SFS) project report. More details can be found on the SAIR website. SAIR is a joint publication venture between the CBA, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Historic Scotland.

SAIR 30

Archaeological monitoring in the streets of Musselburgh: recent discoveries by Michael Kimber with a contribution by Julie Franklin and illustrations by Elin Evertsson and Anna Faras Pagowska.

Abstract

Archaeological monitoring of water mains renewal in Musselburgh has provided new information on the medieval and post-medieval development of the burgh, as well as adding to known information on the vicus of the Roman fort, the Newbigging pottery and the town mill lade. Activity associated with the Newbigging pottery seems to have extended further to the west than the boundaries of the pottery indicated on 19th-century maps of the town, while Roman remains associated with the vicus survive in places beneath the road surface of Inveresk Brae. However, while archaeological deposits related to the medieval burgh were located broadly where expected, they were fragmentary in comparison with similar deposits from pipeline monitoring schemes in Perth, North Berwick and Crail. The data from Musselburgh are in part less coherent due to the kinds of work monitored within the burgh core, but it is probable that they also reflect a lesser degree of preservation of archaeological deposits beneath the road surface. This is partly due to modern development, and partly due to the geographic situation of the burgh, which does not appear to have encouraged the formation of stratified deposits sealed by windblown sand, as in North Berwick, or the anaerobic preservation conditions prevalent within Perth.