Surprise bite in Tay

Aug 22 2008 by Jenny Wood, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

TELL-TALE tooth marks thousands of years old have been found by underwater archaeologists working in Loch Tay.

The experts discovered ancient remains of wood which had been gnawed by beavers up to 8000 years ago during investigations of an area of drowned woodland. Scientists believe that beavers were extinct in Scotland by the 16th century.

Dr Nicholas Dixon, Chairman of the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology and Research Fellow at Edinburgh University said: “We were hoping to find timbers cut by early farmers using prehistoric tools; we never expected to find evidence of beaver activity.

“It will be exciting to date these finds – many of which have well-preserved teethmarks – and to try to establish if they represent the remains of a dam or lodge.”

Some of the beaver-gnawed sticks will be placed on temporary display at the nearby Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore.

Samples will be radiocarbon-dated to determine their age and any relationship to the embedded tree remains near them.

And archaeologists are keen to return to the site in the future for further clues to understanding the loch level change that has occurred in the last eight millennia and its impact on human settlement in the area.