Pic: bigcagwell

The Falkirk Herald reports that around 9000 years ago the first humans set foot in Falkirk. Since then Bronze Age settlers and the Romans are among the many cultures to have left their mark on the area. The clues to their existence are everywhere.

They can be found beneath the ground we walk on and across the local landscape. Park your car at The Falkirk Wheel (pictured above) and you are actually on top of an Iron Age settlement.

Those responsible for discovering, analysing and documenting these finds are people like Geoff Bailey.

Since 1984, Geoff has been Falkirk Council’s archaeologist and keeper of local history.

For many, archaeology will conjure up the image of cinema icon Indiana Jones, but it was not the exploits of a fictional film character which sparked off Geoff’s childhood interest. He said:

This year, when someone was getting a conservatory built in Laurieston, near where the annex of the Roman fort would have been, an iron smelting furnace was found. At another dig in Laurieston along the back of the Antonine Wall, we found a gully with Roman pottery and ramparts.

Then through the back of the Howgate Shopping Centre, an investigation into the north ditch of the Roman fort means we now know that it was two acres in size and not one of the smaller ones. Despite the heavy Roman influence, there has been plenty other antiquities uncovered – including those from the Bronze, Neolithic, Medieval and Dark Ages.

One that Geoff found particularly memorable took place during an excavation at Callendar Business Park. He explained:

It was probably the most significant in terms of the artefacts we found. We found an 80ft long timber hall which dates back to 981 AD, which was the Viking Age. It was also unique for the fact it was a combination of the Northern Pictish and Anglian architecture – which again makes it very interesting.

And while archaeological methods may be becoming more scientific you never know what you might find by simply going for a stroll in Falkirk.

Read the full article at the Falkirk Herald.

Originally posted 2008-11-20 09:31:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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