Excavations in advance of a housing development about 120 kilometres northeast of Glasgow (Scotland) have revealed the remains of eight prehistoric buildings, including roundhouses and a rare metalworking hearth, that may be more than 3,000 years old. Amongst the finds were two fragments of clay nozzles that protected the bellows used to force air into fires to raise the temperature. These are uncommon finds and may help the archaeologists study the techniques used by the smiths here to create metalwork.
     The structures correspond to two of the main architectural types of Bronze Age houses. Pottery fragments found within some of these structures have been tentatively dated to the Bronze Age. One structure had been burnt down prior to being rebuilt in a completely different style. Early analysis of the artefacts suggests that the site was used from the Neolithic to the Iron Age.

Edited from The Courier (24 November 2021)