PREHISTORIC SETTLEMEN DURNESN TI S by R. W. K. REID, F.S.A.SCOT., G. DAVID, F.S.A.SCOT., and A. AITKEN SUMMARY THIS paper is devoted to a study of the correlation between ancient monuments of the Neolithic period, Bronz d Iro ean physicae n th Age d san l backgroune th n di Durness Peninsula, Sutherland. The study is divided into two sections. The first describes the physical background of the area. The second attempts to analyse the distributio e archaeologicath f o n l material quantitativA . e summary appearn i s Appendix B. A schedule of ancient monuments is included under Appendix A, but, e paucitn vieth i f wo f detaile o y d information studo n ,s beeyha n e madth f o e monuments themselves. INTRODUCTION firse Ath s 193ts a n editioPersonalityr i Cyrilon e o 2Si x Th gag Fo lf no of Britain^ demonstrate relationshie dth p between early settlemen chale limestond th kd an an t e Lowlane hillth f so d Zone mais Hi .n thesis distinctiorestee th n do n between porous soils and non-porous soils, the former based on limestones, sands and gravels and the latte heavon r y clays. Porous soil equateshe d with primary settlemen clayand t s with secondary settlement. For some time now archaeologists have tended to think termn i 'claf so y soil mixed san forestk doa , inimica earlo t l y settlement'. Thia s si t unreasonablno e generalisation generalisatioa f i , f thio n s kin desireds di . When applied to small areas it may, however, be misleading, if not plainly erroneous. This is especiall e casyth e when s oftea , n happens, cla s equateyi d with boulder clay. The term 'boulder clay' is doubly unfortunate, in that ground moraine of the kind referred to is often not clay and frequently does not contain boulders. For this reason the term 'till' is to be preferred. Grimes shows 2ha n tha Anglesen i t y Neolithic, Bronze Age Irogroupd e an ,n Ag s settle arean do til f preferencsn o i l localitieo et s free from tillalse H o. demonstrated the increased value of the detailed soil map in distributional studies compared with either the solid geology or drift map. There can be no doubt that when published soil maps are available the results obtained are frequently more precise, a fact amply demonstrate wore th Cramptof ky o d b Webled nan Soutn yi h Wales.3 Maps showing soil serie soir so l association t obtainablno e aree sar th ar discusseefo thidn i s paper. Although withi y geologicaan n l classification ther e soiar el differences resulting from the character of the superficial deposits, in the area discussed a close correlation between the solid geology and soil type may nevertheless be demonstrated. studAe bassa th earlr f yo e fo y settlemen geologe tth drifd yan t maps therefore have enhanced value. r Cyri1Si l Fox Personalitye ,Th of Britain (1932), 53ff. GrimesF . 2W , Antiquity, xrx (1945), 169-74. 3 C. B. Crampton and D. Webley, BBCS, (1960), 387-96; (1963), 336-37. 21 22 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , 1966-67 DURNESS 23 The area covered by the survey is the Durness Peninsula, Sutherland (fig. la). It first came to the notice of the writers during the excavation of a souterrain in 1964 and IQ65. In the course of examining Durness Parish for comparative material two facts becam1 e apparent. First, there appeare numbea e b hithertf o dt o r - oun recorded ancient monuments. Second parise th , h coul dividee db d into well-defined, contrasting geological regions accounn O combinatioe . th f o t thesf nfactoro o etw s decides wa t i attempo dt archaeologican a t l surve Durnese th f yo s Peninsula, treating it as a pilot area on the basis of which, if successful, other areas in the NW. Highlands of Scotland migh investigatede b t . possibls wa t I begio et n compilin distributioe gth beforp nma e field work com- menced. Archaeological bibliographies yielde dsmala l amoun informatiof o t d nan Archaeologicae th l Divisio Ordnance th f no e Surve Edinburgn yi h allowee us e dth of their card index. A party of undergraduates from the University of Glasgow directed by the writers undertook the field work, which was completed in a period of two weeks in July 1966. Basic information was plotted directly on Ordnance Survey 6-inch sheets by field parties separately responsible for the archaeology or geology of a given section. In practice this resulted in any section of the total area being visited at least twice2 . A certain degree of overlapping of sections was intentionally introduce givo dt e some accurace checth fiele n ko th df yworko mape Th . s are, there- fore complets a , possibles ea . They show monument apparenf so t Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age date plotted alongside a background of solid geology and superfi- cial deposits. GEOLOGY The ages of the rocks of the Durness Peninsula range from Lewisian to Lower Palaeozoic, specifically Cambro-Ordovician. Distribution is defined more by faulting than any other single factor. Faults have brought the limestone against the Lower Cambria d Pre-Cambriannan thao s , t ther e contrastinar e g adjacent rock types. Ther closa s ei e correlation between rock typsoid ean l character t musi t e b tbu , remembered thae elementth t f climateo s , vegetatio relied factore nan ar f soin i s l formation thesn I . e cool, northerly latitudes Nort e closth o eht Atlantic storm tracks higa h proportio dayf no s wit hcorrespondingla raid nan insolatiow e ylo b y nma expected e PeninsulTh . exposes ai reached dan elevation sa ovef no r 250 . O.D.0ft , so that a high percentage of the area, all the surface above some 400 ft. is commonly subject to wetting by low cloud. Above 400 ft. ground conditions are only inter- mittently e resuldryTh .s tha i uppee t th t r layer f soie subjeco s ar l leachingo t t . Vegetatio nutrienw lo f no te expecteb statu n ca sn suc o d h soils. Calluna, Erica (heathers) and the poorer grasses are dominant, plants which leave acid humus residues and contribute to further leaching and to peat formation. e DurnesTh s limeston f dolomites mado i e p u ed limestonesan s , with chert occurring fairly commonly. The significance of the limestone as a parent material is t onca e apparent. Ther sucs ei abundancn ha calciuf eo m carbonate that leachins gi 1 Discovery and Excavation Scotland 1364, 51; 1365, 39. NW SE 6 5 4 4 ,, SW 6 4 , SE 6 3 , 2 O.SNE 6 4 . , loo-kilometrNW 6 4 , NE e 6 squar3 , : sheetsSE e NC 7 3 , PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1966-67 DURNESS 25 insufficient to remove it entirely from the soil. Moreover, the maximum elevation of this roc . Figureft k6 typ28 s ei availabl soilr eDurnesfo n so s limestone indicatH ep values of 6-5 to 6-8.1 The Lewisian comprises mainly biotitic and hornblendic gneisses with frequent migmatisation. It is resistant to weathering and chemically very varied figureo N .available ar s soilr efo s develope Lewisian do n H gneisp t sbu values of less than 6-5 might be expected. Peaty podsols, common on the Lewisian, should exhibit pH values of under 5-0 in the top horizons. Chemically, quartzite is at oppositthe e extrem Lewisiato e n gneiss. These arenaceous Cambrian rockare s liabl physicao et l weathering, especially frost shattering d largan , e area f bareo s , shattered quartzite pavement occur. Becaus e extremth f o e e impoverishmenf o t nutrients vegetation tends to be poor in type and often scanty, particularly at higher elevations. Having demonstrate line dth k between solid geolog soilsd e yb an t musi , w no t emphasised tha solie th t d geolog source parene th th y e f eb neeo tt materialdno n I . Durnese th s Peninsula superficial deposits often constitut parene eth t material. Where this is the case the nature of the superficial deposits may materially alter conditions from those normally associated with the rock types already discussed. In general, the till has a tendency to coarseness, although its composition is varied t leasa s i ta t spartialli y derived from rocks groun situ.n di Deposits thin northwards. maximue Th m thicknes aree sth a appears n centrei . some ft b 0 Nato n e5 t d o . Grid Ref. 425612 limestone th n I . e zone where ther hollowe ear basinr so s containing till, drainag sufficientls ei y poo havo t r e engendered peat accumulatio growte th d hnan of sphagnum. With the exception of occasional patches, ground moraine does not, othee th n r o hand, occur abov e. O.D ft som 0 . e50 Erratic foune b t y aboveda sma 1000 ft., and it is not improbable that a, possibly thin, covering of till has been removed fro hile mth l slope erosiony sb . Moraines occur locallPeninsulae th n yi . sid particularle E eThosar e th n eo y hummocky, creating small areas totally unsuit- able for settlement. Deposits of sand are confined to Faraid Head and to the small peninsula and its south-eastern margin lying betwee Kyle n th BalnakeiDurnessf ee o d th an n y O .Ba l distinctioa p ma madns i e between fossi 'modernd an l ' dunes modere Th .