Sand quarrying in 1989 at Sand Fiold, Sandwick, in Orkney resulted in the accidental discovery of a rock-cut chamber containing a cist. Subsequent excavation revealed that this cist had a number of unusual features. The cist slabs had been fitted together exceptionally well and the completed cist was designed to be re-opened by the removal of a side slab. Within the chamber, access was provided to the opening side of the cist and a relieving structure was built over its capstone.The cist contained cremation and inhumation burials that had been inserted on more than one occasion; as its builders intended. A collection of poorly preserved unburnt bone was found to comprise the remains of two individuals: a young adult and a foetus. Two collections of cremated bone, each derived from a single adult, were also present; one in a Food Vessel Urn, the second forming a pile on the floor and containing two burnt antler tines and two unburnt human teeth. The un-urned cremation deposit and the unburnt bones had been covered in mats of plant fibres derived from grass and sedge. The urn had been lined with basketry, also made from grass. Outside the cist, an exceptionally large collection of fuel ash slag (FAS), derived from a cremation pyre, had been deposited between the cist and the wall of the rock-cut chamber.Radiocarbon dates indicate that the site and its contents had a long history. The FAS and the foetus skeleton date to 2900–2500 cal BC. Between 2200 and 1900 cal BC the urned cremation and young adult human bones were inserted and charcoal was deposited in the foundation slots for the back wall of the cist. The deposition of the un-urned cremation was dated to 1000–800 cal BC, some 900 years later, when the urn had already fallen over and broken. At this time, it is assumed that the urn was restored to an upright position and propped with stones, while the stone lid for the urn was reused in the foundation slot of the left-hand side of the cist. Reuse and refurbishment over two millennia seem evidenced in the results from this cist.

In the summer of 1996 work to build a new golf course on the coast at Crail in Fife, Scotland, uncovered a small patch of dark soil associated with microliths. Excavation revealed an arc of seven pits or post-holes, a hearth site and several other pit-like features. There was a small lithic assemblage, and also a quantity of carbonised hazelnut shell, samples of which were sent off for radiocarbon assay. The site was remarkable for several reasons:

The remains of the first Iron Age chariot burial in Britain outside Yorkshire were discovered during the winter of 2000–1, near the Bronze Age burial mound of Huly Hill, at Newbridge, Edinburgh. Excavated by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd with the assistance of the National Museums Scotland, the chariot proved unique beyond just its burial location. The Newbridge chariot was buried intact, a method consistent with the burial practices of Continental Europe rather than Yorkshire, where they were predominantly buried disassembled. Detailed post-excavation analysis revealed a history of repair and reuse, and construction techniques that indicate links with the chariot building traditions of both Yorkshire and Continental Europe. Fifth century bc radiocarbon dates for the burial place it firmly within La Tène A, consistent with its similarities to European examples and indicating that it pre-dates the known Yorkshire examples. This indicates the emergence of a British tradition of chariot construction by this time, familiar with Continental habits and technology but distinctively different in such areas as wheel construction and suspension fittings. Based on the findings, a reconstruction of the chariot was built for display in the National Museums Scotland, providing an opportunity further to understand and confirm the construction techniques observed or hypothesised during excavation.

The portions of the Balfarg/Balbirnie ceremonial complex excavated between 1983 and 1985 are described and related to the portions dug previously: Balbirnie stone circle (76/3594) and Balfarg henge (83/10516).The prehistoric ceremonial use of the area seems to have lasted from early in the third millennium until late in the second millennium BC (in terms of uncalibrated radiocarbon dates). The sequence began with pit-digging and pottery deposition in two parts of the site, near Balfarg Riding School (BRS) and to the west of Balfarg henge. Then, two timber structures, possibly with a mortuary function, were erected at BRS, probably in the early/mid third millennium BC (uncalibrated). The later of the two was mounded over and surrounded by a circular ditched enclosure (a henge?); this activity was associated with the deposition of Grooved Ware. At about the same time, at the west end of the site, a similar deposition of burnt and broken Grooved Ware predates the construction of the Balfarg henge, with its timber and stone circles, and there is evidence of the first use of the Balbirnie stone circle.Later in the third millennium BC (uncalibrated) and in the second millennium, during the prolonged use of the Balfarg henge and the Balbirnie stone circle, a complex sequence of events unfolds at BRS, including the digging of a ring--ditch and the erection of two concentric ring--cairns and a further cairn.Late in the use of the complex there are episodes of burial associated with Beaker and Food Vessel pottery. Most burials are simple cremations, mainly in the area of Balbirnie stone circle, all apparently late in the sequence of the sites on which they are found. At the west end of the complex, cremations were deposited in simple urns.There are specialist contributions as follows. `Summary report on the topography, soils and sediments' (54--6), `Soils buried beneath ring--cairn A' (121) by D Jordan; `The prehistoric pottery: an introduction to the reports' (56--7) and `Catalogues of pottery' (microfiche A5--C9) by T G Cowie & A S Henshall; `The Neolithic pottery: vessels P1--P40: plain Neolithic pottery (Group 1 & Group 2)' (65--76), `Later Neolithic Impressed Ware: vessels P83--P114' (121--6), `Beaker pottery: vessels P115--P153' (127--35), `The Food Vessels P154--P155' (138--40), and `The Bucket Urns: vessels P156--P158' (145--6) by T G Cowie; `The Grooved Ware: vessels P41--P82' (94--108) by A S Henshall; `Basketry and textile impressions on the Grooved Ware' (108) by V J McLellan; `An assessment of the residues on the Grooved Ware' (108--10) by B Moffat; `The jet: summary and discussion' (140--2) by I A G Shepherd; `The stone assemblage' (151--9) and `Catalogue of stone artefacts' (microfiche C10--D4) by C R Wickham--Jones & D Reed; `The charcoal samples and radiocarbon dates' (159--60) by G Cook & R McCullagh; `The calibration of the radiocarbon dates' (161) by M Dalland; `The fieldwalking exercise' (162--5) by J Downes & C Richards; `Contextual analysis of the Grooved Ware at Balfarg' (185--92) by C Richards; and `Analysis of the timber structures' (169--75) by D J Hogg. BOC

Account of the discovery and excavation of a site comprising a scatter of pits or post-holes, including a rectangular arrangement of post-holes interpreted as a timber building. Pottery, worked stone and carbonized crop plants were recovered and the site is interpreted as a relatively short-lived agricultural settlement. Radiocarbon dating suggests an occupation date of between 3,500 and 2,920 cal BC. The report discusses the wider issues of the dating of Scottish Late Neolithic Impressed Ware and its relationship to other styles of pottery, the use of flint in Neolithic Scotland and the nature of settlement in the Neolithic.