Another rare find at Assynt dig

An archaeological dig in Assynt has revealed a level of sophistication of neolithic stone masonry rarely seen in Scotland for that period.

The dig of a 6000-year-old chambered cairn at Loch Borralan, near Ledmore, has unearthed huge stones showing clear signs of how they were quarried and dressed, as well as the tools used for working them.

Gordon Sleight, projects leader for Historic Assynt, the community organisation running the archaeology project, say: "This neolithic chambered cairn is revealing that the people who lived in Assynt 6000 years ago were expert stone masons. They also probably had better weather than we do!"

John Barber, the lead archaeologist at the dig, added: "We have found evidence for stone quarrying and dressing of the faces of the large syenite boulders in the chambers. This is rare in Scotland.

"We have also recovered a number of pieces of quartzite used as quarrying and stone working tools. We can now see that the chamber was built directly onto the bedrock after its surface had been pounded relatively flat."

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