View north along Bank Street, showing the River Ness FAS excavation trench
Example of a trench section on Bank Street, showing the tarmac over granite sett road surface and the layers of build-up in between
Inverness city centre as it is recognised today has its roots in the 12th-century medieval royal burgh, although archaeological evidence has clearly shown that prehistoric occupation began in the Mesolithic period some 8,000 years ago. Amidst the modern buildings and infrastructure, it is difficult to imagine the industrialperiod city centre, much less the old town of the medieval burgh. Yet remnants of it still exist, some hidden in plain sight, others buried beneath the streets.