Post by UKarchaeology on Apr 1, 2016 21:45:16 GMT
‘Bonnie Dundee’ John Graham, the Jacobite leader killed in battle Rex Features
It is the longest road in Scotland, running for 273 miles up the spine of the country to the North Sea and providing one of the main transport links to the Highlands. Usually associated with frustratingly slow speeds and a high risk of accidents, the A9 now has a new claim to fame: a link with Scotland’s revolutionary past.
An archaeological survey carried out as part of a £3 billion project to turn 80 miles of the road into dual carriageway has uncovered dozens of artefacts linked to the Battle of Killiecrankie, which saw Jacobite rebels record a famous victory over government troops in 1689.
It is hoped that the discoveries – which include a copper alloy pendant, two buckles, part of the support for a sword belt, horse shoes, buttons and musket munitions – will help to shed further light on the skirmish which took place in a hilly pass near the A9’s current route.
Archaeologists who worked on the 1.5km-long site with the help of metal detectorists said patterns of munitions were clearly visible from the survey. The results show the exact positions taken up by the Government army commanded by General Hugh Mackay and the Jacobites, led by “Bonnie Dundee” John Graham, who was later immortalised in verse by Sir Walter Scott.
Full stoyr/pics: www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/a9-archaeologists-discover-artefacts-linked-to-battle-of-killiecrankie-during-road-construction-a6909816.html
