Archaeologists have found a mysterious mass burial site in Scotland. The site is about 3,300 years old. Researchers revealed the discovery in a new report.
The site is located in southern Scotland. It is near the town of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway. The discovery was made during work for a new wind farm.
Digs took place in 2020 and 2021. Archaeologists from Guard Archaeology led the work. They were checking the land before building an access road for the Twentyshilling Wind Farm.
They found an ancient burial mound, known as a barrow. Inside were five closely-packed urns. The urns held the cremated bones of several people.
The lead archaeologist, Thomas Muir, said the find was unusual. He believes a “horrible event” may have caused so many deaths at once. Possible causes could be famine or disease.
The wind farm sits on rough upland terrain. It is about three miles south of Sanquhar. During the excavation, experts found the urns held at least eight individuals. All were buried together in a single event.
Scientific dating shows the burial happened between 1439 and 1287 BC. That is the late Bronze Age. A small group of pits was also found further north. These showed signs of human activity from an even earlier time, between 2867 and 2504 BC.
Muir explained that the five urns were placed tightly together. They all date to the same period. This suggests it was one mass burial event. The group may have been from the same family or community.
He also noted something unusual. The bodies were cremated and buried almost right away. In the Bronze Age, it was more common to leave bodies out for some time before burial. Another site in the Borders region shows evidence of reuse over many years.
The Twentyshilling site tells a different story. Muir believes a sudden tragedy struck. Many people died in a short time. Famine is a strong possibility.
Other Bronze Age sites in the region also show signs of stress. Some show evidence of famine and villages being abandoned. This was clearly a difficult period.
The archaeological work was required before the wind farm could be built. The wind farm is now fully operational. The discovery adds an important chapter to the history of ancient Scotland.
