Modern or medieval?: Analysis of an iron anchor from Camuscross, Scotland and directdating methods for metal artefacts

Daniel Claggett; John Kennington McCarthy; William Murray; Erin Madeline Sebo; Arne Jouttijärvi; Matthias C. Hüls; Jonathan Benjamin

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004

Modern or medieval? Analysis of an iron anchor from Camuscross, Scotland and directdating methods for metal artefacts

Daniel Claggett, John Kennington McCarthy, William Murray, Erin Madeline Sebo, Arne Jouttijärvi, Matthias C. Hüls, Jonathan Benjamin

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In 2009, an iron anchor was found by the coast of Camuscross, Isle of Skye, Scotland after the digging of a drainage channel exposed the object. There was initial speculation in media coverage that the anchor might be Viking, perhaps dating between the 9th–12th centuries CE. However, due to its damaged condition and the lack of precise stratigraphic context, determining the age of the anchor has been challenging. This article will discuss a subsequent program of investigation to date the anchor, including metallurgical and radiometric analysis, and will present a number of possible interpretations based on this analysis. It will also consider the broader context and implications of using the two analytical methods of absolute dating applied to the anchor and how they can help to improve interpretation of archaeological materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	144-152
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	25
Early online date	17 Apr 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004
Publication status	Published - Jun 2019

Keywords

Archaeometallurgy
Maritime archaeology
Northern European seafaring
Typology

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10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004Licence: In Copyright

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title = "Modern or medieval?: Analysis of an iron anchor from Camuscross, Scotland and directdating methods for metal artefacts",

abstract = "In 2009, an iron anchor was found by the coast of Camuscross, Isle of Skye, Scotland after the digging of a drainage channel exposed the object. There was initial speculation in media coverage that the anchor might be Viking, perhaps dating between the 9th–12th centuries CE. However, due to its damaged condition and the lack of precise stratigraphic context, determining the age of the anchor has been challenging. This article will discuss a subsequent program of investigation to date the anchor, including metallurgical and radiometric analysis, and will present a number of possible interpretations based on this analysis. It will also consider the broader context and implications of using the two analytical methods of absolute dating applied to the anchor and how they can help to improve interpretation of archaeological materials.",

keywords = "Archaeometallurgy, Maritime archaeology, Northern European seafaring, Typology",

author = "Daniel Claggett and McCarthy, {John Kennington} and William Murray and Sebo, {Erin Madeline} and Arne Jouttij{\"a}rvi and H{\"u}ls, {Matthias C.} and Jonathan Benjamin",

year = "2019",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004",

language = "English",

volume = "25",

pages = "144--152",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports",

issn = "2352-409X",

publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",

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T1 - Modern or medieval?

T2 - Analysis of an iron anchor from Camuscross, Scotland and directdating methods for metal artefacts

AU - Claggett, Daniel

AU - McCarthy, John Kennington

AU - Murray, William

AU - Sebo, Erin Madeline

AU - Jouttijärvi, Arne

AU - Hüls, Matthias C.

AU - Benjamin, Jonathan

PY - 2019/6

Y1 - 2019/6

N2 - In 2009, an iron anchor was found by the coast of Camuscross, Isle of Skye, Scotland after the digging of a drainage channel exposed the object. There was initial speculation in media coverage that the anchor might be Viking, perhaps dating between the 9th–12th centuries CE. However, due to its damaged condition and the lack of precise stratigraphic context, determining the age of the anchor has been challenging. This article will discuss a subsequent program of investigation to date the anchor, including metallurgical and radiometric analysis, and will present a number of possible interpretations based on this analysis. It will also consider the broader context and implications of using the two analytical methods of absolute dating applied to the anchor and how they can help to improve interpretation of archaeological materials.

AB - In 2009, an iron anchor was found by the coast of Camuscross, Isle of Skye, Scotland after the digging of a drainage channel exposed the object. There was initial speculation in media coverage that the anchor might be Viking, perhaps dating between the 9th–12th centuries CE. However, due to its damaged condition and the lack of precise stratigraphic context, determining the age of the anchor has been challenging. This article will discuss a subsequent program of investigation to date the anchor, including metallurgical and radiometric analysis, and will present a number of possible interpretations based on this analysis. It will also consider the broader context and implications of using the two analytical methods of absolute dating applied to the anchor and how they can help to improve interpretation of archaeological materials.

KW - Archaeometallurgy

KW - Maritime archaeology

KW - Northern European seafaring

KW - Typology

U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004

DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.004

M3 - Article

SN - 2352-409X

VL - 25

SP - 144

EP - 152

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

ER -

Modern or medieval? Analysis of an iron anchor from Camuscross, Scotland and directdating methods for metal artefacts

Abstract

Keywords

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