During the excavations at Pitcarmick, inorganic phosphate analysis was conducted to assess whether additional traces of domestic farming settlements could be identified in the landscape (Banks 1996). Phosphate distributions caused by the upstanding settlement were readily apparent, but areas of enhancement were also identified in downslope soil layers. This indicated that additional remains may also have existed in the vicinity but had subsequently been removed by cultivation. Whether such structures related to the early medieval period remains unclear. It is likely that the upstanding remains do not represent all of the occupation of the immediate landscape, and that other settlement remains buried within the fields of later phases of occupation (Banks 1996, 231). This offers significant opportunity for future research.
A programme of integrated geoarchaeological work on occupation layers from Lair is currently underway as part of PhD research. This incorporates assessments of pH, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, organic matter content, multi-element analysis and micromorphology. It is designed to identify activity areas within the interior of the structure and characterise the post-depositional processes affecting early medieval settlement remains in the region. The results from Lair will produce the highest resolution integrated geoarchaeological evidence for any archaeological building in Scotland and serve as a crucial evaluation of the ideal combination of techniques for reconstructing aspects of daily life and living conditions. Results of the project will be released as a series of published papers, with the final thesis expected in 2022 (Reid forthcoming).
