A huge prehistoric quernstone is the latest evidence of an Early Neolithic settlement on the outskirts of Kirkwall, Orkney.

Ploughing near Saverock, St Ola, earlier this month uncovered the saddle quern and brought it to the surface of the field. It was spotted by Chris Gee, a project officer at ORCA, who has fieldwalked the site, after spring ploughing, since 2014.

Aided by volunteers and Archaeology Institute students, Chris had previously identified spreads of large building stones around a low mound in the field and recovered a wealth of Neolithic artefacts, including stone and flint tools, pottery, a stone bead and an arrowhead.

The style of the pottery and the arrowhead suggests an Early Neolithic date (c3600-3200BC) for the Saverock settlement, meaning it pre-dates Skara Brae, Orkney’s best-known Stone Age occupation site, by centuries.

Back on site last week, careful excavation revealed the sheer size of the quern. Measuring 87cm long, 60cm wide and 46cm thick, it is estimated to weight over 200kg (440lbs). Beneath it were more sherds of Early Neolithic pottery.

It is hoped that charcoal found under the quernstone can be radiocarbon dated, allowing archaeologists to see where the Saverock site fits in with the three other known Early Neolithic settlements clustered around the lower slopes of Wideford Hill.

Between 1994 and 2013, the Cuween-Wideford Neolithic Landscape Project, led by Professor Colin Richards, identified and excavated four Neolithic settlements (Stonehall, Smerquoy, Crossiecrown and Wideford Hill) in the vicinity of Wideford Hill, and three others further afield (Varmedale, Muckquoy and the Knowes of Trotty).

During the project, excavation at the western base of Wideford Hill revealed the first evidence of Neolithic timber-built structures in Orkney.

Chris would like to thank John Hamilton and Derek Shearer for their assistance in recovering the quern and the landowner, William Harcus, for allowing access to the field.

The team at ORCA are well versed in tackling any archaeology job in almost any weather! When a client asks for a project to be completed on time and in budget then the team provide solutions and get the job done - even when the Scottish climate does it's best to make things a little difficult. 

The picture shows ORCA Project Officer Rick Barton preparing to complete a survey of eroding archaeology on one of the northern islands in Orkney. Rick and Paul Sharman, ORCA Senior Project Officer, first assessed the situation in terms of Health and Safety and ,judging the situation to be safe, worked in torrential rain and very difficult conditions to identify features from an excavation completed in 1982.

For Paul, this was a back to the future experience as he originally worked on this particular site as a young graduate. Rick added to the occasion by reminding Paul that he wouldn't have been allowed to work on that dig because he was only one year old at the time. Paul's reaction is not noted in the documentation!