Within the forestry plantation of Camore Wood, near Dornoch, a prehistoric settlement of at least 20 hut circles lies hidden within the woods. Excavations over the summer of 2023 at three of the hut circles provided a unique glimpse into the structures and the artefacts left behind by their prehistoric inhabitants.
The works were undertaken on behalf of Forestry and Land Scotland.
Camore Wood settlement comprises a large group of prehistoric hut circles located within a forestry plantation near Dornoch. Most of the roundhouses survive within forest clearings as circular structures built with turf and stone banks, some sitting on top of raised mounds. Today, the settlement is mostly hidden amongst the trees, but when it was occupied, we can imagine there would have been intervisibility between the houses and other nearby monuments, such as the Chambered Cairns of Davochfin and Evelix and Drumdivan Standing Stone.
Part of the recent archaeological works at Camore Wood involved the recording and mapping of all known hut circles within the forest. To the untrained eye, the structures can be difficult to spot, especially when they are enclosed by trees or overgrown by thick bracken. Walkover survey across the woods, using historic maps and previous survey records to aid navigation, was able to find 20 structures from the prehistoric settlement, ranging from single hut circles to the impressive foundations of double and even triple roundhouses.
Explore the map below to discover the houses for yourself. Click and drag to move the map or use the controls to zoom in and out. Click a point of interest or image on the left to start the guided tour.
Roundhouse Excavations
Recent damage to the roundhouses provided a unique opportunity to investigate three of the hut circles in more detail. Six trenches were positioned across Sites 1, 2 and 3, each targeting different features of the roundhouses and their surroundings. Although the excavations were small in size, they uncovered structural elements, occupation deposits, and artefacts, including an incredible flint arrowhead. Ongoing analysis of the artefacts and environmental samples will shed even more light on the people who once lived here.
Site 1
Use your mouse to explore the 3D model of the excavation or click through the numbers for a guided tour.
Heart of the Home
Pre-excavation of the hearth
Mid-excavation of the upper hearth
Mid-excavation of the lower hearth
The lower slab hearth
Overlapping slab hearths were uncovered at the centre of Site 1. The upper (later) hearth consisted of small heat-cracked slabs and was surrounded by a burnt deposit. Below it, lay the earlier hearth, formed by large, reddened slabs set within a ring of smaller stones. And below that lay a large pit measuring 1m across and containing burnt bone. This area would have been the heart of the home, providing light and warmth and acting as the centre of daily activities, such as cooking.
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
use your mouse to explore the 3D models of the artefacts⚬
Barbed and Tanged Arrowhead
The incredible find of a barbed and tanged flint arrowhead came from one of the floor layers inside Site 1. The arrowhead is a Kilmarnock Type N, a style which occurs almost entirely within Early or Middle Bronze Age contexts in Scotland. It would have taken a skilled craftsperson to create the serrated edges. Finds of small objects can be rare on prehistoric roundhouse sites, as people would have taken most things with them when the houses were abandoned. It is possible that this arrowhead was accidentally lost, however, it may also indicate a deliberate deposit linked to the abandonment of the house.
Spindle Whorl Roughout
A partly perforated shale disc was found within the floor layers of Site 1, forming what appears to be a spindle whorl in the process of being shaped. The central hole is only visible on one side and the disc still has an overall angular oval shape. Abrasion marks around the edges suggest that the disc was in the process of being smoothed and shaped into a circle. One face of the object is badly chipped, which may be the reason that this object was never finished.
Site 2
Use your mouse to explore the 3D model of the excavation or click through the numbers for a guided tour.
Site 3
Use your mouse to explore the 3D model of the excavation or click through the numbers for a guided tour.
Excavation Gallery
Aerial view of Site 1 pre-excavation
Survey in progress at Site 1
Aerial view of Site 2 pre-excavation
Survey in progress at Site 2
Aerial view of Site 3 pre-excavation
Aerial view of Site 3 pre-excavation
Roundhouse excavations in progress
Roundhouse excavations in progress
Roundhouse excavations in progress
Roundhouse excavations in progress
Excavation slot through the central slab hearth
Taking Kubiena samples from the roundhouse floor layers
A photography-based 3D recording method using 2D images to extract 3D information. This is done by reading perspective variations and differences in lines of sight in multiple overlapping images.
Its adaptability, scalability and potential to create highly accurate 3D outputs, regardless of the size of the subject recorded, made photogrammetry a widely popular 3D recording technique.
Used in the heritage sector in a broad spectrum of applications: from creating a detailed record of archaeological sites and buildings to conservation monitoring and long-term preservation of fragile museum collections.
Laser Scanning
Terrestrial laser scanning is one of the primary techniques that enable the rapid and highly-accurate acquisition of 3D data.
The scanners measure the 3D geometry by sending a laser beam to the surface of the recorded structure. The beam hits the surface and returns to the scanner – based on those two events the scanners can calculate distances and angles, assigning each measured point a precise location in 3D space.
Capturing millions of measurements per second, laser scanning became one of the primary tools used in surveying due to its speed and ability to produce high-resolution data. Laser scanned point clouds can provide valuable metric data, giving cross sections through buildings, or accurate terrain models of slight topographic features. 3D data can be processed into highly accurate CAD models for visualisation, or used to extract detailed 2D elevations and plans.
Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
Reflectance Transformation Imaging ( RTI) balances between 2D and 3D imaging. Whilst it captures 2D images, it allows for the object recorded to be digitally re-lit, creating an illusion of 3D surface. RTI dataset is created by capturing a series of images from a fixed camera position with the artefact illuminated by a light source incrementally moved around on a hemispherical grid. It records the subject’s shape and colour and is particularly useful for enhancing fine surface detail invisible under regular illumination.
3D printing
Archaeological artefacts can provide a tangible link to people who lived centuries, or even millennia, before us. However, most are too fragile to be handled freely and are viewed behind glass or stored in archives. 3D prints of artefacts, made from highly accurate 3D models created from data gathered through digital recording methods, can provide an opportunity for a tactile experience, allowing a more personal connection. 3D printing technology is also making heritage more inclusive and accessible for people with visual impairments – dedicated handling kits are gaining more popularity across cultural institutions in the UK and beyond.
3D Reconstructions
Digital reconstructions allow us to visualise lost archaeological sites or piece together fragmented artefacts recovered during excavations. Particularly useful in the analysis and interpretation of fragile archaeological finds, 3D reconstructions allow specialists to examine objects in a non-invasive way and experiment with innovative methods of communicating the results of these analyses.
Based on photos, archival maps, LiDAR data or 3D scans, digital models of cultural assets can be created and experienced in the virtual world by the viewer. Those reconstructions provide a way for audiences to explore artefacts from afar and present a fascinating new opportunity for engagement with the past.
LIDAR analysis
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technique, used for high-resolution survey of landscapes.
The technology is based on the use of a laser scanner, mounted on an aircraft. Laser scanners emit pulses of laser light at a rate of many hundreds of pulses per second,
and measure the time it takes for the reflection of that pulse to return to the instrument; a GPS is used to plot the coordinates of each measurement. Using this method, computers are able to process millions of measurements in a dataset called a ‘point cloud’. In turn, this point cloud is then used to make very detailed presentations of the ground surface, called ‘digital terrain models’, often referred to as ‘DTMs’.
UAV Survey
Drones in the heritage sector are used as a low-level aerial method of recording archaeological sites, historic buildings, tall monuments, and landscapes. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, drones can access high-level structures to facilitate the inspection of historic sites. Accurate 3D records are generated from gathered images and used for survey, conservation, and maintenance work.
360⁰ Virtual Tours
Immersive way of making remote heritage sites more accessible. By taking a series of 360⁰ images, or spherical panoramas, we can create virtual tours of archaeological sites and historic buildings.
