Scatness, shetland: An integrated survey of a multiperiod settlement mound

An integrated survey and research excavation of a multiperiod settlement mound at Scatness, Shetland, was carried out in 1995. This settlement mound contains an Iron Age tower, known as a Broch, and 3 m or more of stratified archaeological deposits, truncated by a modern road. The paper explores the combined use of three-dimensional topographical survey with magnetic and earth-resistance surveys using the twin-probe configuration at both 0.5 m and 1 m separation of the mobile probes. The geophysical survey of multiperiod ‘tell-like’ settlement mounds to gather pre-excavation data presents a number of problems, and experience on other sites has shown the value of integrating both magnetic and earth resistance data sets to interpret the underlying deposits. The resolution at depth provided by the increased resistance probe separation and the use of resistivity pseudosections, provided greater detail of the buried archaeology. Interpretations from these data sets, integrated with the magnetic data, allowed the targeting of excavation areas to address specific questions on the development of the settlement mound.