Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic Carbonised Remains in Riverine Deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

Piper, Stephanie; Bishop, Rosie R.; Rowley‐Conwy, Peter; Elliott, L.; Church, Mike J.

doi:10.3721/037.006.3501

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Red deer first appear as Neolithic (5500-4500 cal. yr BP) arrivals in the more distant Outer Hebrides and Orkney [23]. As red deer are thought to be able to swim up to 7 km [24] they could move from the mainland to the closer Inner Hebridean islands unaided, and this may explain their early occurrence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of the Scottish islands via long-distance Neolithic transport of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

2016

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Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have played a key role in human societies throughout history, with important cultural significance and as a source of food and materials. This relationship can be traced back to the earliest human cultures and continues to the present day. Humans are thought to be responsible for the movement of a considerable number of deer throughout history, although the majority of these movements are poorly described or understood. Studying such translocations allows us to better understand ancient human–wildlife interactions, and in the case of island colonizations, informs us about ancient human maritime practices. This study uses DNA sequences to characterise red deer genetic diversity across the Scottish islands (Inner and Outer Hebrides and Orkney) and mainland using ancient deer samples, and attempts to infer historical colonization events. We show that deer from the Outer Hebrides and Orkney are unlikely to have originated from mainland Scotland, implying that humans introduced red deer from a greater distance. Our results are also inconsistent with an origin from Ireland or Norway, suggesting long-distance maritime travel by Neolithic people to the outer Scottish Isles from an unknown source. Common haplotypes and low genetic differentiation between the Outer Hebrides and Orkney imply common ancestry and/or gene flow across these islands. Close genetic proximity between the Inner Hebrides and Ireland, however, corroborates previous studies identifying mainland Britain as a source for red deer introductions into Ireland. This study provides important information on the processes that led to the current distribution of the largest surviving indigenous land mammal in the British Isles.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of the Scottish islands via long-distance Neolithic transport of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

2016

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“…THE PREHISTORIC SOCIETY may reflect limited fieldwork in a landscape not conducive to finding pre-4th millennium artefact scatters (Piper et al 2018). This scenario suggests we should refer to the mid-4th to the mid-3rd millennia BC as the 'Neomesolithic'an explicit recognition of biocultural merger.…”

Section: Mesolithic-neolithic Overlap On Islaymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Long was the Mesolithic–Neolithic Overlap in Western Scotland? Evidence from the 4th Millenniumbcon the Isle of Islay and the Evaluation of Three Scenarios for Mesolithic–Neolithic Interaction

Mithen¹

2022

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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Ancient DNA studies have identified western Scotland as the only known region in Britain where inter-breeding occurred between early 4th millennium bc Neolithic migrants and the indigenous Mesolithic population. By drawing on excavations at Mesolithic and Neolithic sites on the Isle of Islay, I identify a period of population overlap and suggest three scenarios for Mesolithic–Neolithic interaction: swift succession, dual population, and biocultural merger. These scenarios are evaluated against the archaeological evidence from Islay and elsewhere in western Scotland, and with reference to patterns of Mesolithic–Neolithic interaction in continental Europe. A cautious preference is expressed for biocultural merger, occurring between the mid-4th and mid-3rd millennia bc, a period that could be termed the ‘Neomesolithic’.

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Iron Age Activity beside the River Dee, Cairngorms

Bishop,

Warren

2024

Scottish Archaeological J

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In June 2019, a charcoal-rich pit was identified in an eroding riverbank during a walk-over survey along the River Dee, in the Mar Lodge Estate, Cairngorm Mountains, as part of a wider Mesolithic research project in the area led by researchers from University College Dublin. Subsequent radiocarbon dating of pine charcoal revealed that the pit was used in the earlier first millennium AD, providing the first archaeological evidence for Iron Age activity in this area of the Cairngorm mountains. No artefacts were uncovered, but the archaeobotanical assemblage from the pit provides evidence for the nature of fuel procurement strategies in this area in the Iron Age. The results highlight the difficulty of identifying early prehistoric archaeological activity in mountain environments and the potential for the survival of further later prehistoric evidence in this area of Mar Lodge.

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Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic Carbonised Remains in Riverine Deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

Cited by 3 publications

References 87 publications

Colonization of the Scottish islands via long-distance Neolithic transport of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Colonization of the Scottish islands via long-distance Neolithic transport of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

How Long was the Mesolithic–Neolithic Overlap in Western Scotland? Evidence from the 4th Millenniumbcon the Isle of Islay and the Evaluation of Three Scenarios for Mesolithic–Neolithic Interaction

Iron Age Activity beside the River Dee, Cairngorms

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