Abstract
THE month of August, as usual, has been fruitful in results of arch¦ological exploration on sites in various parts of Great Britain. Among the more important, Dr. R. E. Mortimer Wheelers excavation of the great earthwork of Maiden Castle provides abundant material bearing on the Roman and pre-Roman occupation of the site. The discovery of four gold coins of the fourth century and a gold ring as treasure trove have necessitated an inquest in which the Prince of Wales, as owner of the land, is interested. It is anticipated that these objects will be handed eventually to the Dorchester Museum for custody. Evidence of a stone age settlement has been found, and it is expected that the excavation of the ditch now being undertaken will throw light on the origin of the work. Another hill-fort site will be available for the inspection of members of the British Association attending the Aberdeen meeting. This is the prehistoric fort on Finavon Hill on the main road from Aberdeen to Forfar at the entrance of Strathmore, which recently has been under excavation by Prof. Gordon Childe. On the hill-top are the remains of ramparts, still 12 ft. in height, but which, it is estimated, once stood nearly 20 ft. high by 20 ft. thick. The stone coping exhibits the curious character of vitrification, due apparently to exposure to intense heat, occasionally found in these Scottish forts. In the course of the excavation, pottery, flint implements, spindle-whorls, broken animal bones and a little iron were foundbut there is nothing which would make it possible to assign a date to the fort with any certainty. It is, however, thought to be pre-Roman, rather than Roman, in dating. A brief account of the exploration of the fort appears in the Times of August 30.
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Recent Archaeological Exploration in Great Britain. Nature 134, 353 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134353a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134353a0