Gazetteer of Arran Pitchstone Sources: presentation of exposed pitchstone dykes and sills across the Isle of Arran, and discussion of the archaeological relevance of these outcrops

Ballin, Torben Bjarke; Faithfull, John

doi:10.9750/issn.1773-3803.2009.38

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Chalcedony and agate occur as erratic pieces throughout southern Scotland. Pitchstone derives from Arran in the Firth of Clyde (Ballin and Faithfull 2009) and it was mainly exchanged during the first half of the Early Neolithic period (Ballin 2009).…”

Section: Raw Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Upper Palaeolithic Flint and Chert Assemblage From Howburn Farm, South Lanarkshire, Scotland: First Results

Ballin¹,

Saville²,

Tipping

et al. 2010

Oxford Journal of Archaeology

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This paper describes the discovery of the first open-air Upper Palaeolithic site to be found in Scotland, at Howburn, near Biggar in SouthLanarkshire. An account is given of the composition and distribution of the lithic assemblage, which is discussed in terms of its British and north-west European context. Provisional parallels drawn are with the Late Hamburgian (Havelte) sites and assemblages of southern Scandinavia, northern Germany and the Netherlands. There is no absolute dating evidence for the site, but an age in the region of 12,000 14 C yr BP, towards the end of the earlier (Bølling) Lateglacial Interstadial stage, is proposed on the basis of the lithic artefacts.introduction BackgroundAs part of the field-walking campaigns for its 'Prehistory North of Biggar Project', the Biggar Archaeology Group (BAG) investigated an arable field at Howburn Farm, Elsrickle, South Lanarkshire, in southern Scotland. The field was walked by the BAG on four occasions between 2003-2005, producing a range of prehistoric lithic artefacts and potsherds, mainly from the upper eastern part of the field close to a stream course. Thousands of lithic artefacts were recovered, mostly of flint and chert, with occasional pieces of pitchstone and Cumbrian tuff (polished axehead fragments). Diagnostic types and attributes suggested that the field-walked chert artefacts were mainly Later Mesolithic in date and the Arran pitchstone and polished axeheads were of Early Neolithic date. Most of the flint was thought to date to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age period. These typo-chronological estimates seemed supported in part by the recovery of Neolithic pottery (plain carinated bowl sherds as well as impressed and Beaker sherds and Grooved Ware) in and nearby to the field.In 2005 field-walking located a previously unnoticed concentration of flint and chert artefacts in an area approximately 40 m in diameter at one spot on the eastern side of the field. This concentration, marked especially by a higher presence and larger size of artefacts of flint than elsewhere in the field, was assumed to have been brought to the surface because of fresh disturbance by ploughing. Accordingly, an exploratory excavation was undertaken by the BAG OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 29(4) 323-360 2010

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Section: Raw Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Upper Palaeolithic Flint and Chert Assemblage From Howburn Farm, South Lanarkshire, Scotland: First Results

Ballin¹,

Saville²,

Tipping

et al. 2010

Oxford Journal of Archaeology

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“…Aphyric pitchstone is usually associated with the eastern parts of Arran, such as the Corriegills district, the Fairy Glen immediately to the west, and the Monamore Glen further south along the island’s east coast (Ballin & Faithfull 2009, chap. 5).…”

Section: The Findsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Furness’s First Farmers: Evidence of Early Neolithic Settlement and Dairying in Cumbria

Robinson¹,

Town²,

Ballin³

et al. 2020

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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In 2015, excavations at Stainton Quarry, Furness, Cumbria, recovered remains that provide a unique insight into Early Neolithic farming in the vicinity. Five pits, a post-hole, and deposits within a tree-throw and three crevices in a limestone outcrop were investigated. The latter deposits yielded potentially the largest assemblage of Carinated Bowl fragments yet recovered in Cumbria. Lipid analysis identified dairy fats within nine of these sherds. This was consistent with previous larger studies but represents the first evidence that dairying was an important component of Early Neolithic subsistence strategies in Cumbria. In addition, two deliberately broken polished stone axes, an Arran pitchstone core, a small number of flint tools and debitage, and a tuff flake were retrieved. The site also produced moderate amounts of charred grain, hazelnut shell, charcoal, and burnt bone. Most of the charred grain came from an Early Neolithic pit and potentially comprises the largest assemblage of such material recovered from Cumbria to date. Radiocarbon dating indicated activity sometime during the 40th–35th centuries cal bc as well as an earlier presence during the 46th–45th centuries. Later activity during the Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age was also demonstrated. The dense concentration of material and the fragmentary and abraded nature of the pottery suggested redeposition from an above-ground midden. Furthermore, the data recovered during the investigation has wider implications regarding the nature and use of the surrounding landscape during the Early Neolithic and suggests higher levels of settlement permanence, greater reliance on domesticated resources, and a possible different topographical focus for settlement than currently proposed.

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“…Three artefacts (CAT 5, 20 and 26) in Arran pitchstone (Williams Thorpe & Thorpe 1984) are black, aphyric volcanic glass with a green tinge. The pieces were generally very homogeneous, with small spherulites, but few macroscopically visible crystallites (Ballin & Faithfull 2009). CAT 26 was slightly banded.…”

Section: General Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neolithic domesticity and other prehistoric anomalies: excavations at Laigh Newton, East Ayrshire

Toolis¹,

Bacon²,

McSwan³

et al. 2011

sair

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A series of archaeological evaluations and excavations at Laigh Newton in East Ayrshire revealed evidence for intermittent occupation of this valley terrace between the Mesolithic and the Late Iron Age. The plough-truncated archaeology included the remains of a rectangular building and associated features of the mid-late fourth millennium BC, a more ephemeral structure and related pits of the mid third millennium BC, a charcoal-burning pit of the mid-first millennium AD and two other rectilinear structures of indeterminate date.

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Gazetteer of Arran Pitchstone Sources: presentation of exposed pitchstone dykes and sills across the Isle of Arran, and discussion of the archaeological relevance of these outcrops

Cited by 8 publications

References 20 publications

An Upper Palaeolithic Flint and Chert Assemblage From Howburn Farm, South Lanarkshire, Scotland: First Results

An Upper Palaeolithic Flint and Chert Assemblage From Howburn Farm, South Lanarkshire, Scotland: First Results

Furness’s First Farmers: Evidence of Early Neolithic Settlement and Dairying in Cumbria

Neolithic domesticity and other prehistoric anomalies: excavations at Laigh Newton, East Ayrshire

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