Ancient Caithness settlement investigated by archaeologists

Image source, University of Aberdeen

Image caption, Dwellings at Wag of Forse were homes to people over different period of time, say archaeologists

Archaeologists are investigating what could turn out to be some of Scotland's best preserved Pictish homes.

The dwellings called wags, a type of longhouse, at Wag of Forse in Caithness may have been occupied by Picts from about 1,400 years ago.

The ruined properties form part of a settlement that also includes an Iron Age stone tower known as a broch.

Archaeologists know people lived in the settlement south of Wick over different periods of time in the past.

However, Pictish occupation has never been confirmed.

Image source, University of Aberdeen

Image caption, An aerial image of an oblong shaped wag

The Picts lived in northern and eastern Scotland in the late Iron Age and early Medieval times.

The University of Aberdeen's Northern Picts project is working on the new investigation at Wag of Forse with Caithness Archaeological Trust and the Dunbeath Heritage Museum

Archaeologists hope to find material where archaeological digs took place in the 1930s and 40s that can then be accurately dated to the time of the Picts.