Historic Scotland is the Government Agency charged with the task of protecting the built heritage. Ancient monuments and archaeological sites and landscapes form an important part of Scotland’s built heritage. They can be protected by law through the process of scheduling under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, but unfortunately that particular piece of legislation is not widely understood in Scotland’s rabbit warrens.

Any visitor to Scotland’s ancient monuments will be familiar with the sight of white tails disappearing as he or she examines the remains of ancient earthworks. Clearly, rabbits burrow into and create homes within these earth-works, but unfortunately archaeologists cannot see beneath the surface of the ground and readily understand the damage being done to the underlying archaeological deposits, although the visual impact on the surface features is all too obvious.

In order to try to understand better the damage caused by rabbits and other burrowing animals, Historic Scotland has commissioned over the years a series of surveys and excavations. As a result of this work we now have a much clearer indication of the considerable damage, which is done by burrowing animals, particularly rabbits, on archaeological sites. Over time, archaeological deposits are completely churned up and our ability to understand the history of a particular site is destroyed. This Technical Advice Note, which draws upon the skills and expertise of both archaeologists and a mammal ecologist, was commissioned to draw together our present knowledge and under-standing of this problem. The authors, the Centre for Field Archaeology and Roger Trout, also outline a methodology for recording and monitoring changes in burrowing animal activity and damage, without which the condition of a monument and the risk of further damage occurring are difficult to assess.

Much of Scotland’s early history can only be learnt through the excavation of archaeological sites. These ancient monuments are the repository of all our history from about 8000 BC to the arrival of the Romans in the first century AD. Thereafter, although some written records exist, archaeological sites are still a most important source of information in order to help us understand the lives – and deaths – of our ancestors. In order to gain the best appreciation of Scotland’s history, it is essential that we preserve in the best possible condition as many ancient monuments as we can for present and future generations to examine and excavate.

All burrowing animals can cause damage to archaeological sites for the soft archaeological deposits offer an attractive home to them. Their presence would appear to be one of the greatest active threats to our archaeological heritage. This Technical Advice Note is welcomed as the first in this series to be commissioned by the Ancient Monuments Division, as an important step forward in bringing the concerns of archaeologists to a wider audience and offering encouragement and advice to the many colleagues involved in countryside management, without whose help we cannot begin to address the problem