A Lateglacial archaeological site in the far north‐west of Europe at Rubha Port an t‐Seilich, Isle of Islay, western Scotland: Ahrensburgian‐style artefacts, absolute dating and geoarchaeology

Abstract

The exact pattern, process and timing of the human re-colonization of northern Europe after the end of the last Ice Age remain controversial. Recent research has provided increasingly early dates for at least pioneer explorations of latitudes above 54˚N in many regions, yet the far north-west of the European landmass, Scotland, has remained an unexplained exception to this pattern. Although the recently described Hamburgian artefacts from Howburn and an assemblage belonging to the arch-backed point complex from Kilmelfort Cave have established at least a sporadic human presence during earlier stages of the Lateglacial Interstadial, we currently lack evidence for Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 (GS-1) activity other than rare stray finds that have been claimed to be of Ahrensburgian affiliation but are difficult to interpret in isolation. We here report the discovery of chipped stone artefacts with technological and typological characteristics similar to those of the continental Ahrensburgian at a locality in western Scotland. A preliminary analysis of associated tephra, pollen and phytoliths, along with microstratigraphic analysis, suggest the artefacts represent one or more episodes of human activity that fall within the second half of GS-1 and the Preboreal period.

Ireland: Submerged Prehistoric Sites and Landscapes

“…Recent discoveries of Ahrensburgian-type material (latter half of GS-1 to earliest Holocene) have been made on the Scottish island of Islay (visible from Northern Ireland on clear days). Despite slightly lower RSL, boats were necessary to reach Islay (Mithen et al 2015), supporting the premise that Late Glacial populations were capable of seagoing or at least island-hopping voyages. An ability to cross even greater distances to reach Ireland would provide greater substantiation of the maritime abilities of these hunter-gatherers.…”

“…The most widespread evidence indicative of prehistoric landscape preservation on the Irish seafloor comes from the intertidal zone. Dotted around the Irish coast are numerous peat and forest remains exposed at low tide (Charlesworth 1963;Mitchell 1976 However, there are also sites located on more exposed and higher-energy coastlines, such as Portrush on the north coast ( Fig. 11.11; Wilson et al 2011), and various localities on the Atlanticfacing west coast, which are periodically exposed after beach stripping by storms ( At a handful of sites, peats have been found below the low-water mark, either brought up by dredgers and cores or reported by divers.…”

Searching for the Scottish Late Upper Palaeolithic: A case study from Nethermills Farm, Aberdeenshire

“…In this respect it is worth noting that other potentially LUP assemblages are currently under investigation, such as that published by Mithen and colleagues from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Islay (Mithen et al 2015). A possible tanged point of LUP affinity has recently been recovered from this site (personal communications with Karen Wicks, August 2016).…”

Archaeological excavations at Nethermills Farm, Deeside, 1978–81

“…= 7) and do not form a single pattern with regard to either tool type or precise period. Until recently, the presence of sporadic atypical pieces like these would not have been considered significant with regard to pre-Mesolithic activity, however, given the increasing evidence for Upper Palaeolithic activity in Scotland (Saville & Ballin 2009;Ballin et al 2010;Mithen et al 2015), the possibility that they document occasional pre-Mesolithic visits to the site cannot be discounted. The tanged point, in particular, is a type that has received considerable attention in recent studies (eg Ballin & Bjerck 2016).…”

“…They comprise the fragment of a tanged point, together with six other lithic pieces, all of disparate type and varied affiliation (see above), but in general suggesting occasional activity anytime between 13500-10000 bc. The emerging evidence for Upper Palaeolithic Scotland to date suggests the presence of small exploratory groups of hunters who may have left little archaeological footprint (Mithen et al 2015). In this respect, the lack of any coherent chronological or cultural patterning among the Nethermills pieces of Palaeolithic affinity would not be out of place.…”