Portmahomack on Tarbat Ness: Changing Ideologies in North-East Scotland, Sixth to Sixteenth Century AD

Carver, Martin; Garner-Lahire, Justin; Spall, Cecily

doi:10.9750/9781908332165

Cited by 31 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…An alternative explanation could lie in the value of the female calves themselves, as cattle are proposed to be a great source of wealth and power in the Anglo-Saxon world. If female calves are of higher value than male, perhaps the selection of female animals reflects the choice of the very best and most expensive material available to receive the holy word: a sacrifice of prized animals fit to answer the sacrifice of the Lord, and to demonstrate the faith and the wealth of the commissioner of the manuscript [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

et al. 2017

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Medieval manuscripts, carefully curated and conserved, represent not only an irreplaceable documentary record but also a remarkable reservoir of biological information. Palaeographic and codicological investigation can often locate and date these documents with remarkable precision. The York Gospels (York Minster Ms. Add. 1) is one such codex, one of only a small collection of pre-conquest Gospel books to have survived the Reformation. By extending the non-invasive triboelectric (eraser-based) sampling technique eZooMS, to include the analysis of DNA, we report a cost-effective and simple-to-use biomolecular sampling technique for parchment. We apply this combined methodology to document for the first time a rich palimpsest of biological information contained within the York Gospels, which has accumulated over the 1000-year lifespan of this cherished object that remains an active participant in the life of York Minster. These biological data provide insights into the decisions made in the selection of materials, the construction of the codex and the use history of the object.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

et al. 2017

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“…It can also be formed into fishing floats, sharpeners, smoothers, rubbers and jewellery, resulting in distinctively shaped, flattened and grooved pieces (e.g. Carver et al ., ). In the western North Atlantic (Denmark Strait, Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, Baffin Bay) sea ice may limit the spread of floating pumice.…”

Section: Tephra Tracersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interpretative value of transformed tephra sequences

Dugmore

Thompson

Streeter

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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We explore developments in tephra science that consider more than chronology, using case studies of morphological transformations of tephra deposits. Volcanic processes and prevailing weather conditions determine the distribution of tephra deposits immediately after an eruption, but as these freshly fallen tephra become part of the stratigraphic record, the thickness, morphology and definition of the layers they form changes, reflecting the interplay of the tephra, climate, Earth surface processes, topography and vegetation structure, plus direct or indirect modification caused by people and animals. Once part of the stratigraphic record, there can be further diagnostic changes to the morphology of tephra layers, such as the creation of over folds by cryoturbation. Thus, tephra layers may contain proxy evidence of both past surface environments and subsurface processes. Transformations of tephra deposits can complicate the reconstruction of past volcanic processes and make the application of classical tephrochronology as pioneered by Thorarinsson (Sigurður Þórarinsson in Icelandic) challenging. However, as Thorarinsson also noted, novel sources of environmental data can exist within transformed tephra sequences that include the spread or removal of tephra, variations in layer thickness and internal structures, the nature of contact surfaces and the orientation of layers.

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“…The data for Leith is compared to another east coast medieval population from Portmahomack on the Moray Firth (Carver et al 2016). As would be expected for a site close to the Highlands, individuals at Portmahomack have a much wider range of Sr isotopes than at Leith, with none below 0.7092, and are likely to include those from inland regions of the Highlands, where values above 0.7130 are found; this interpretation is also possible for one individual from Auldhame.…”

Section: The Artefacts Megan Stoakley and Anne Cronementioning

confidence: 83%

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Stoakley¹,

Newman²,

Crone³

et al. 2019

SAIR

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In 2016, Wardell Armstrong undertook an archaeological excavation at St Mary’s (Leith) RC Primary School, Edinburgh. The archaeological excavation revealed four phases of activity; Phases 1 and 2 comprised coffined and uncoffined human burials. The lack of infectious pathognomic skeletal lesions, the dating of the finds, the dendrochronological analysis of the coffin wood and technological data, along with the known historic land-use of the area, all indicate that the burial ground relates to the 1645 outbreak of plague in Leith. Dendrochronological analysis revealed a terminus post quem felling date of c 1640 for the coffin wood, while analysis of the coffins’ manufacture revealed hasty construction methods. Phase 3 comprised a series of waste disposal pits of 19th-century date. Phase 4 comprised levelling deposits, which were likely associated with the construction of the school and the demolition of the 19th-century smallpox hospital located to the north of the site. A total of 81 individuals were interred at the site. Adults represent 68.3% while non‐adults represent 31.7%. All age groups were present except neonates. Artefacts including keys, coins, sewing kits and combs were recovered. That the bodies were interred seemingly fully clothed and the corpses not rifled prior to burial strongly indicates a fear of the diseased corpse. The presence of everyday items on the bodies may also indicate a more sudden death outside the sick bed, possibly indicating the occurrence of septicaemic plague. Frequent occupation and attrition-related skeletal and dental pathologies indicate lives characterised by poverty and toil. Strontium analysis revealed that almost all individuals were local to Leith; several individuals had rosary or paternoster beads, indicating a likely Catholic affiliation, which would have been risky given that the pro-Presbyterian Covenant was signed in Leith in 1638. In contrast to older children, the younger children were interred in coffins, indicating differing views on the treatment of the body.

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Portmahomack on Tarbat Ness: Changing Ideologies in North-East Scotland, Sixth to Sixteenth Century AD

Cited by 31 publications

References 33 publications

The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

The interpretative value of transformed tephra sequences

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