Digging Into Darkness Visible | The History of the Covesea Caves, Moray

In an enigmatic sea cave in north-east Scotland, the remains of mummified bodies and rare artefacts reveal Moray’s ancient burial practices.
Momoko Eliot digs into the story of the Covesea Caves with expert Dr Lindsey Büster, co-author of the award-winning publication 'Darkness Visible: The Sculptor's Cave, Covesea, from the Bronze Age to the Picts'.
00:00 Intro
00:56 Sylvia Benton
1:57 Getting to the Covesea Caves
3:23 Mortuary Rights in Prehistory
4:44 Artefacts from the Caves
7:30 The Pictish Carvings
10:24 Sueno's Stone
12:22 Further Research in the Caves
13:44 The Book - Part 1
15:23 The Book - Part II
16:40 The Book - Part III
Momoko Eliot is an MA History of Art Student at the University of Edinburgh (graduating 2024).
Dr Lindsey Büster FSAScot is a lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology at CCCU/PDRA at the University of York, with specialisms in the ritual and domestic life of later prehistoric Britain & Europe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winner of Scottish Research Book of the Year 2021.
Read 'Darkness Visible: The Sculptor's Cave, Covesea, from the Bronze Age to the Picts' online free on our e-book platform: books.socantscot.org/digital-b...
Buy your own copy in our online shop: www.socantscot.org/product/da...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland regularly publishes high-quality scholarly and non-fiction books on Scottish history and archaeology. Interested in publishing with us? Find out more on our website: www.socantscot.org/publicatio...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Society’s publications are made possible through the subscriptions of our Fellows. If you would like to support high-quality research into Scotland’s past, why not join our 2,800-strong network of Fellows across the globe? www.socantscot.org/join-us/

[@RuralSpanishRetirement]

I lived in Forres and Elgin for many years and have ancestors who came from Covesea and I never even knew the caves were there 💁😳 How interesting to discover such a rich archaeological history for my home territory 😁

[@mrarkadin7179]

What a great interview and a great resource. Many thanks to the Society of Antiquaries for making this freely avaialble to all. I used to play on the beaches and in the caves around Lossiemouth when I was a wee boy. Those caves felt so mysterious to a young child and really fired the imagination.

[@SocietyofAntiquariesofScotland]

Our pleasure! Thanks a lot for sharing, we agree that it's a very special place.

[@athollmoray]

My DNA test results showed that I am related to several people found in the covesea caves… so this greatly interests me.

[@macgonzo]

I find the idea that Pictish symbols are some kind of naming convention particularly weak... We have evidence of a tsunami hitting Shetland around the year 500 CE, and it is likely that this same event was experienced around the North coast of mainland Scotland. That said, take a look at the Pictish symbol described as a flower. Considering we have evidence of a significant tsunami event around the time these symbols are being created, I think it is reasonable to argue that the flower symbol is, instead, a depiction of this event. If this is true, then it is reasonable to argue that Pictish symbols are a method of recording stories, rather than some naming convention.

[@SocietyofAntiquariesofScotland]

An interesting idea. Thanks a lot for sharing!