PLAYGROUND PREHISTORY
Archaeologists often make the point that traces of our ancient past can be found anywhere, whether in our towns or the countryside, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. Yet we are usually completely unaware of the deep history, and deeper prehistory, that lies beneath our feet. This seems to be a missed opportunity to learn more about the heritage of the places where we live, work and play.
Over the past few years we have been involved in an exciting venture based at a community hub and secondary school in Crieff, drawing attention to the invisible, buried archaeological traces in and around this campus. Thanks to a team of enthusiastic collaborators and proactive support from school leaders and teachers, an archaeology trail has been created.
A trail does not sound especially innovative, but this one is: every point on the trail invites the visitor to imagine prehistoric ceremonies or medieval politics being played out. But the material traces of these ancient sites and monuments are no longer visible, either destroyed or buried by construction projects.
