Pictish Cemetery
Identified from aerial photographs there is evidence for Pictish burials both to the northeast of the early prehistoric ceremonial centre as well as immediately outside the southern perimeter of where the large prehistoric palisaded enclosure would have stood. Excavations of the Forteviot Pictish cemetery have targeted different forms of burial monuments including square and round barrows as well as unenclosed graves, which appear to span several centuries. Part of a large square enclosure, situated in the north-east corner of the cemetery was also investigated. The whole cemetery seems to have given over to agricultural use around the 13th century, when its significance was forgotten or it was deliberately destroyed. Despite many centuries of destruction by agricultural practices, under the topsoil the dug features of the cemetery were still visible. The soil conditions here, however, do not support the preservation of bone and therefore few human remains were identified during excavation.
