Conclusion and references

Archaeology is about all of society – from chieftains, kings and warriors through to the ordinary men, women and children who built their houses, tilled the soil, made tools and handicrafts, marked out their lives in seasons and rituals, celebrated their ancestors and died in their turn – over thousands of years. Countless sites and finds of our ancestors remain to be discovered and explored all over East Lothian. Archaeology and history are all around us, in town and countryside, in buildings and in fields, in parks and gardens and on rolling hills.

Archaeology has much to tell us about the origins and development of our own society: stretching back into the past gives a sense of continuity and belonging, a sense of our place in time and in the world. The complex fabric of today’s townscapes and landscapes contains the story of the past; and year-by-year, generation-by-generation, we are adding new chapters to the story. This is why archaeology matters: it is not only about the past and who we were, but also about who we are – and who we could be.

Further reading & references

Published archaeological reports for sites mentioned in the text and some other relevant works

  • Alexander, D & Watkins, T (1998) ‘St Germains, Tranent, East Lothian: the excavation of Early Bronze Age remains and Iron Age enclosed and unenclosed settlements’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 128, pp203-254
  • Baldwin, JR (1985) Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders, Edinburgh
  • Brooks, CM (1980) ‘Medieval pottery from the kiln site at Colstoun, East Lothian’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 110, pp364-403
  • Collard, M (1998) Lothian: A Historical Guide, Edinburgh
  • Crone, BA (1992) ‘An Iron Age cist at North Belton Farm, Dunbar’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 122, pp161-70
  • Dalland, M (1991) ‘Burials at Winton House, Cockenzie and Port Seton, East Lothian’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 121, pp175-80
  • Dalland, M (1992) ‘Long cist burials at Four Winds, Longniddry, East Lothian’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 122, pp197-206
  • Dennison, EP & Coleman, R (1996) Historic Musselburgh: the archaeological implications of development, Edinburgh
  • Hall, D & Bowler, D (1997) ‘North Berwick, East Lothian: its archaeology revisited’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 127, pp659-676
  • Harding, D W (ed) (1982) Later prehistoric settlement in south-east Scotland, (Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Occasional Paper No. 8)
  • Haselgrove, C & McCullagh, R (2000) An Iron Age coastal community in East Lothian: the excavation of two later prehistoric enclosure complexes at Fishers Road, Port Seton, 1994-5 (Scottish Trust for Archaeological Research (STAR) Monograph 6)
  • Hill, PH (1982) ‘Broxmouth hill-fort excavations, 1977-78: an interim report’, in Harding, D W (ed) Later prehistoric settlement in south-east Scotland, pp141-88 (Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Occasional Paper No. 8)
  • Longworth, IH (1966) ‘A massive cist with multiple burials of Iron Age date at Lochend, Dunbar’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 98, pp173-98
  • Maxwell, GS (1970) ‘Early rectilinear enclosures in the Lothians’, Scottish Archaeological Forum, 2, pp86-90
  • Maxwell, GS (1970) ‘Agricola’s campaigns: the evidence of the temporary camps’, Scottish Archaeological Forum, 12, pp25-54
  • Perry, DR (2000) Castle Park, Dunbar: two thousand years on a fortified headland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph Series Number 16
  • The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) (1924) Eighth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of East Lothian, Edinburgh
  • Richmond, IA (1980) ‘A Roman fort at Inveresk, Midlothian’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 110, pp286-304
  • Ritchie, JNG & Ritchie, A (1972) Edinburgh and south-east Scotland, London
  • Ritchie, JNG & Ritchie, A (1991) Scotland: archaeology and early history, London
  • St Joseph, JK (1976) ‘Air reconnaissance of Roman Scotland 1939-75’, Glasgow Archaeological Journal, 4, pp1-28
  • Thomas, GD (1988) ‘Excavations at the Roman civil settlement at Inveresk, 1976-77′, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 118, pp139-76
  • Thomas, GD (1988) ‘The re-excavation of the Inveresk hypocaust’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 118, pp177-80
  • Triscott, J (1982) ‘Excavations at Dryburn Bridge’, in Harding, D W (ed) Later prehistoric settlement in south-east Scotland, pp117-24 (Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Occasional Paper No. 8)
  • Welfare, H (1978) ‘Jigsaw puzzle and dustbin: air photography and the Iron Age in southern Scotland’, Scottish Archaeological Forum, 10, pp1-11
  • Wordsworth, J (1983) ‘Friarscroft and the Trinitarians in Dunbar’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 113, pp478-88