Archaeology

Prehistoric mounds, cairns, brochs and hut circles have been recorded in Lower Dounreay. Although many of these sites have not been excavated they show that the area was important in prehistory.

The oldest monument is the Neolithic Chambered cairn at Cnoc-na-h’Uiseig dating from around 4,000BC. This is one of the Orkney-Cromarty group of chambered cairns, which have a rectangular chamber with compartments along each side, and were used for communal burial over many generations, perhaps indicating a tradition of veneration of the ancestors.

Lower Dounreay - An Archaeological Landscape

In 2010, Highland Archaeology was commissioned to carry out a survey of the site of the proposed low-level waste disposal facility.

Archaeological Investigation 2010

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Image: Archaeologists excavate a burial cist on the site of the new low-level waste disposal site

Archaeologists excavate a burial cist on the site of the new low-level waste disposal site

Image: A chambered cairn to the east of the site is a scheduled monument

A chambered cairn to the east of the site is a scheduled monument