Monument record MWE157569 - Eoligarry

A large midden with of a series of buried soils surviving beneath the midden mound. The buried soils had been cultivated using an ard and were separated by layers of windblown sands. Cultivation ceased and ashy shell midden was then dumped over a bedrock ridge, followed by a large and extensive dump of mainly cockle shell midden. The dumping of ashy midden rich in animal bone and bone tools, interspersed with shell midden continued for a considerable amount of time resulting in the creation of a mound which within the excavation area was over 0.95m deep, over 20m long and around 7m ide; the mound continued under the modern road. Pottery was recovered from almost every context. Bone scoops were predominantly recovered from the shell midden, while bone points (probable fishing net shuttles) were recovered from most of the ashy midden deposits. Butchered animal bone was also mainly recovered from these ash rich deposits. Three articulated animal carcasses, a dog, a lamb/sheep and a calf/cow were also excavated. Cordoned pottery was recovered from the later part of the midden mound and initial comparison with pottery found elsewhere on Barra indicates it may date to the Middle or Late Iron Age. However, cordon pottery is also a decorative motif used in the Bronze Age and the recovery of a thumbnailed scraper may indicate that the midden mound had its origins in the Bronze Age.
C.Ellis, Argyll Archaeology. 01/09/2025

This site indicates that a settlement is in the near vicinity, six possible platform sites were identified less than 170m west of the the midden. Post-ex for this site is on going.
KM (Arch Service) 07/10/2025

Argyll Archaeology, 2024, Barra Distillery Archaeological Evaluation. (Unpublished document). SWE41390.

Argyll Archaeology, 2025, Barra Distillery Data Structure Report (Unpublished document). SWE41391.