What they found

Cave carvings, dating to the Picts, are currently at risk from vandals and the sea on this protected site. Time Team worked in conjunction with Fife county archaeologist Douglas Speirs and Historic Scotland to find out more about who had been living and working in these caves. Douglas Speirs simultaneously undertook a laser scan survey of the cave walls to record the carvings and excavated a section of the eroding coastal path. This excavation revealed evidence for shell middens and a standing stone set into a negative feature.

Trenches in Jonathan's Cave revealed archaeological evidence for a family who worked iron and made square-headed nails here in the 18th century. Post holes in a further trench possibly indicated corralling of sheep, which is known to have taken place on this site from historical records. No evidence for earlier activity was discovered, despite the presence of Pictish carvings, and the deposits were very shallow.

Wells Cave offered the prospect of less disturbed deposits. Excavation uncovered an artificially modified stone depression in which water had collected. Wear on the edges was suggestive of repeated abrasion, perhaps by feet. Pottery associated with the feature was dated to the 14th century.

Trenches at the entrance of this cave uncovered medieval ridge and furrow and disturbed shell middens. Analysis of the soils and occupation debris outside the caves indicated activity dating back to the Late Mesolithic.

Excavation in Sloping Cave revealed a third wall carving, with a serpent design, and a flagged stone floor surface. An occupation layer of charcoal and animal bones overlaid the surface. Charred barley grains from this layer were C14 dated to 240-400 AD.

This, then, was a story of almost continual human activity since the creation of the caves as little as 10,000 years ago.

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