On Monday 3rd September Salen Primary pupils went to the Baliscate site in Tobermory which is being excavated by Argyll Archaeology and Mull Museum (sponsored by the National Lottery and others). At the site we met Olive and Hylda. Once we were there we saw archaeologists digging for evidence of an old chapel (7th C). Luckily enough we were able to see the artefacts found in the chapel such as: teeth, the Bullen stone and the Leacht that the cross would stand on, and lots more fascinating and interesting things!
Whilst we were looking in the trenches we saw people digging and looking for flint, pot and bones. At one of the trenches we saw a special stone named the Bullen stone. In the past people used to turn the stone clock- wise and it would make a wish, however, if they turned the stone anti- clockwise it would make a curse!
After that trench we moved on to the shepherd’s trench where we saw the remains of a shepherd’s house from about 200 hundred years ago, and it was very small. In that trench the archaeologists found some pottery.
Next we went in to the tent to see what the archaeologists had found! Amazingly they had discovered an arrow head over 4,000 years old, children’s teeth, flint, charcoal and a mystery object.
At the last trench we saw the remains of an old house with very small rooms in it. Time Team thought the wee house was a monk’s cell but now the archaeologists think it was a house.
Our visit to Blaiscate was extremely fascinating and very exciting and we would like to go back some time!
By Kerrie, Iain, Ewan and Talia
Well done sounds a fabby project.