Sands of Forvie

The Sands of Forvie is a nature reserve about 20 km north of Aberdeen in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The 734 -acre area includes one of the most active dunes geomorphological systems in the UK and is part of Natura 2000.

Shell Middens

In the Sands of Forvie are Pictish Shell Middens ( prehistoric middens ). These middens, both sides of the estuary of the Ythan, have been known for more than a century. They are usually the result of extensive prehistoric activities. The recent excavations show that at least one of the bunch evidence for early medieval activity displayed.

The excavations were on one of the largest middens ( Midden A) performed on the Sands of Forvie, in response to the progressive erosion of 2010. The shell layer is 2.9 m thick, 35 m long and is divided into two deposition phases. The visible part is about 0.6 m thick shell layer in the upper part of the eroded section. This was on an up to 1.3 m thick sand dune that had settled over the earlier deposits. This an old fireplace has been preserved intact. This consisted of a layer of stone on which was charcoal. The fireplace is interpreted as Gargrube to open the shells, as found in many ethnographic contexts. From the material culture of the users were found only one or two stone tools. In contrast, there were stacked shells of people.