Archaeomagnetic dating: an absolute dating technique for iron-bearing, in-situ fired materials (eg hearths, kilns, furnaces) that records the Earth’s changing magnetic field at the time of last heating. By comparing the thermoremanent magnetisation (TRM) in samples to known regional calibration curves, archaeologists can determine the date of the event, often with high precision.
Bayesian analysis: a statistical, probabilistic method used to refine chronological models and interpret past events by combining new data (eg radiocarbon dates) with existing, independent information, such as stratigraphic relationships. More information is available in our Archaeological Science framework.
Beaker Culture: a complex cultural phenomena which started 4,700-4,400 years ago and spread across western and central Europe. It can be tracked through its distinctive, bell-shaped pottery style.
Blackhouse: a traditional type of house which used to be common in Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Scottish Highlands. It is characterised as a long structure with dry stone walls insulated with earth, a thatched roof over a timber frame. The animals and the humans would have lived within the house together.
Blacklands: a range of highly organic, wet, acidic soils which appear to be common in many parts of the Hebridean islands and western Scottish mainland. They are often inaccurately referred to as peat.
Blanket bog: a type of peatland that forms a literal ‘blanket’ of peat across undulating landscapes in cool, high-rainfall, and arid climates.
Broch: a large, round dwelling of varied height with hollow stone-built walls, found across Atlantic Scotland and typically associated with the Iron Age period.
Cairn: a pile or mound of loose stones. They usually serve as the mark of a boundary, landmark, or grave.
Central Excavation Unit (CEU): established in 1975 by English Heritage, this organisation was created to handle major rescue excavations. The CEU provided expert teams to excavate sites threatened by development, focusing on recording sites before they were lost.
Crannog: a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lochs, bogs and estuarine waters. Crannogs are typically associated with the Iron Age period.
Croft: a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land used for farming or a garden. It is usually small and arable, and typically, though not always, includes a crofter’s dwelling.
Dendrochronology: the scientific method of determining the exact calendar year when tree rings were formed, enabling precise dating of wood samples. By analyzing patterns in ring width, which reflect annual climate variations (eg wet years produce wide rings, dry years narrow ones), researchers can date wooden structures, archaeological artifacts, and reconstruct past climates. Read more about this in our Dendrochronology framework.
Developer-funded archaeology: the process where developers pay for archaeological surveys and excavations required by the planning system to mitigate the impact of building projects on the historic environment. Head to the Dig It! website for more information.
Dike (or dyke): a low wall, usually made of stones and turf, serving as an enclosure.
Double houses: distinct architectural structures with two main rooms or sections, often found in Neolithic and Bronze Age contexts. These sites frequently highlight social organisation, such as two-family dwellings, or the coexistence of humans and animals. Examples of double houses can be found at Spurness in Sanday, Orkney.
Gneiss: a common, metamorphic rock formed under intense heat and pressure, characterised by its alternating, discontinuous bands of lighter (felsic) and darker (mafic) minerals.
Intangible heritage: knowledge and traditions from earlier generations, such as customs, beliefs and knowledge.
Interdisciplinary: when academics work with other academics who are not researching in their discipline, such as an archaeologist working with a historian.
Lazy beds: a traditional method of cultivation, particularly used for potatoes.
Light Distance and Ranging (LiDAR): a surveying technique that uses light as form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges.
Little Minch: a body of water (strait) that separates Lewis and Harris from the Isle of Skye. It extends northwards to the Minch, which separates Lewis and Harris from mainland Scotland.
Machair: a fertile low-lying grassy plain found on part of the northwest coastlines of Scotland and Ireland, particularly the Outer Hebrides. The best examples are found on North and South Uist, Harris and Lewis.
Marine Reservoir Effect: sometimes referred to as the ‘marine radiocarbon reservoir effect’, this effect complicates radiocarbon dating because carbon in water may be older than the atmosphere. Anything consuming the carbon within the water may then appear older than those things that do not.
The Minch: a body of water (strait) that separates Lewis and Harris from mainland Scotland.
Ministry of Defence (MOD): A ministerial department in the government of the United Kingdom. There are many MOD establishments in Scotland, particularly along the coasts and on the islands.
Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating (OSL): a scientific method used to determine when mineral grains (like quartz or feldspar) in sediments were last exposed to sunlight or heat, revealing the age of sediment burial or heating events, useful for dating materials from a few hundred years to over 500,000 years old.
Peninsula: a piece of land surrounded by water on most sides while connected to a larger mainland.
Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF): now widely used for detecting the elemental composition of a material. Elemental analysis can enhance archaeological interpretations, including distribution mapping and the identification of anthropogenic activities.
Rescue excavation: a survey and excavation carried out as part of the planning process in advance of construction or other land development.
Roundhouse: a dwelling with a circular plan, which were the standard form of housing in Britain and Ireland from the Bronze Age to Iron Age.
Runrig: a system of land tenure practiced in the Highlands and Islands.
Schist: a type of metamorphic rock that tends to split into layers.
Shiants: a privately owned island group in the Minch, east of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Shieling: a hut on a seasonal cattle pasture high in the hills, once common in upland or rural places in Scotland.
Souterrain: a type of underground structure. See more here.
Stable isotopes: non-radioactive forms of atoms. Although they do not emit radiation, their unique properties enable them to be used in a broad variety of applications, including water and soil management, environmental studies, nutrition assessment studies and forensics.
Steatite: also known as soapstone, a type of metamorphic mineral rock.
Stofa: a wooden building built of log timbers (with notched corners).
Taskscape: a place of human activity. Taskscapes are interweaving and interlocking.
Voe: an inlet or narrow bay in Orkney or Shetland.
Whitehouse: eventually replaced the blackhouse as the preferred form of dwelling. Unlike a blackhouse, there was a wall separating the area for the animals (byre) and the dwelling area.