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An Corran, Staffin, Skye: a Rockshelter with Mesolithic and Later Occupation

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An Corran, Staffin, Skye: a Rockshelter with Mesolithic and Later Occupation AN CORRAN, STAFFIN, SKYE: A ROCKSHELTER WITH MESOLITHIC AND LATER OCCUPATION Alan Saville,1 Karen Hardy,2 Roger Miket3 and Torben Bjarke Ballin4 With contributions by László Bartosiewicz, Clive Bonsall, Margaret Bruce, Stephen Carter, Trevor Cowie, Oliver Craig, Ywonne Hallén, Timothy G. Holden, N.W. Kerr, Jennifer Miller, Nicky Milner, and Catriona Pickard, and with illustrations by Alan Braby, Marion O’Neil, and Craig Angus 1 Corresponding author. Scottish History and Archaeology Department, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, Scotland [email: [email protected]] 2 ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats, Departament de Pre- història, Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain [email: [email protected]] 3 The Miller’s House, Yearle Mill, Wooler, Northumberland, NE71 6RA, England. [email: [email protected]] 4 Lithic Research, Banknock Cottage, Denny, Stirlingshire, FK6 5NA, Scotland [email: [email protected]] Scottish Archaeological Internet Report 51, 2012 www.sair.org.uk Published by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, www.socantscot.org.uk with Historic Scotland, www.historic-scotland.gov.uk and the Council for British Archaeology, www.britarch.ac.uk Editor Helen Bleck Produced by Archetype Informatique SARL, www.archetype-it.com ISBN: 978-1-908332-99-8 ISSN: 1773-3803 Requests for permission to reproduce material from a SAIR report should be sent to the Director of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, as well as to the author, illustrator, photographer or other copyright holder. Copyright in any of the Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports series rests with the SAIR Consortium and the individual authors. The maps are reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright 2001. Any unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Historic Scotland Licence No. GD 03032G, 2002. The consent does not extend to copying for general distribution, advertising or promotional purposes, the creation of new collective works or resale. ii CONTENTS List of Illustrations v List of Tables vii 1 Abstract 1 1.1 Keywords. 1 2 Introduction, by Roger Miket, Karen Hardy and Alan Saville 3 2.1 Discovery and prelude to the excavation . .5 2.2 Excavation planning . 7 2.3 Excavation strategy . .7 2.4 The excavation . 9 2.5 The contexts . 11 3 Post-excavation Analysis and Specialist Reports, by Karen Hardy, Alan Saville, Roger Miket and Torben Bjarke Ballin 17 4 The Lithic Artefacts, by Karen Hardy, Alan Saville and Torben Bjarke Ballin 19 4.1 Introduction . 19 4.2 Raw material. 19 4.3 Weight . 23 4.4 Reduction techniques. 23 4.5 Refitting . 23 4.6 The assemblage. 23 4.7 Discussion of the lithic artefacts . 33 5 Bone and Antler Artefacts, by Alan Saville, with contributions by Ywonne Hallén and László Bartosiewicz 35 5.1 Introduction. 35 5.2 Bevel-ended tools. 35 5.3 Points. 38 5.4 Miscellaneous/unclassified worked pieces. 41 6 The Copper Alloy Pin, by Trevor Cowie 42 6.1 Description . 42 6.2 Discussion . 42 7 Human Bone, by Margaret Bruce (bone) and N W Kerr (teeth) 44 7.1 Introduction. 44 7.2 Skull. 44 7.3 Vertebral column. 44 iii 7.4 Ribs . .45 7.5 Upper limb. 45 7.6 Lower limb. 45 7.7 Pathology. .45 7.8 Number of individuals represented . 45 7.9 Addendum . 46 8 Vertebrate Remains, by László Bartosiewicz . 47 8.1 Introduction. 47 8.2 Preservation and recovery. .47 8.3 Results. 51 8.4 Discussion. .59 9 The Marine Molluscs, by Catriona Pickard and Clive Bonsall . .62 9.1 Introduction. 62 9.2 Procedures. 62 9.3 Results – discussion and interpretation. 63 9.4 Conclusions. 68 10 Flotation Samples, by Timothy G. Holden, with contributions by Stephen Carter and Jennifer Miller . .70 10.1 Introduction . 70 10.2 Uncharred remains . .70 10.3 Charred plant remains . 70 10.4 Terrestrial snail shell . 71 10.5 Vesicular fragments . .71 10.6 Charcoal . .71 10.7 Conclusions . 72 11 Radiocarbon Dates, by Alan Saville and Karen Hardy . .73 12 Isotope Analyses, by Nicky Milner and Oliver Craig. .77 12.1 Introduction . 77 12.2 Sampling and methods . 77 12.3 Results . 78 12.4 Discussion . 79 13 General Discussion, by Alan Saville and Karen Hardy . .80 14 Conclusion, by Alan Saville and Karen Hardy . .82 15 Acknowledgements . .83 16 References . .84 17 Appendix One: Description of the Contexts, by Roger Miket, Karen Hardy and Alan Saville. .90 18 Appendix Two: Worked Bone and Antler Artefacts Catalogue, by Alan Saville . .95 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1 An Corran location maps (A–C) 2 2 An Corran detailed location map (D) 3 3 Rockshelter ledge in 1988, iewed from the south (photo: Roger Miket) . 3 4 Rockshelter ledge in 1988, iewed from the north (photo: Roger Miket) . 4 5 Panoramic iew of the site and adjacent areas from the ENE prior to the excaation in 1993 (photo: Roger Miket) 4 6 Slope profiles from the rockshelter ledge to the sea. 5 7 View from the east after the start of the excaation in 1993 showing the configuration of the rock-ledges aboe (photo: Roger Miket) 6 8 Plan of the rockshelter ledge showing the position of the 1988 excaation (shaded) 6 9 Plan of the rockshelter ledge showing the position of the 1993–94 excaation area (shaded) 7 10 Rock clearance in progress in 1994 iewed from the east following the rockface blasting (photo: Roger Miket) 8 11 Situation in June 1994 subsequent to the rockface blasting, iewed from the north (photo: Alan Saille) 8 12 Sketch diagram showing the former and present cliff profile at the site location 9 13 Excaation in progress in 1993 iewed from the south-east (photo: Roger Miket) 10 14 Excaation in progress in 1994 iewed from the south (photo: Roger Miket) 10 15 1993–94 excaation plan showing the location of the recorded sections and selected contexts . 11 16 Section D–E at the north edge of the excaation 12 17 Sections H–I and F–G at the southern limits of the excaation 12 18 Section B–C through the basal deposits in the centre of the excaated area 14 19 Burnt deposits (context C8) in upper leels at the rear of the rockshelter (photo: Roger Miket) 14 20 Detail of the west end of section B–C showing contexts C35 and C36 (photo: Roger Miket) 15 21 Approximate context C17 horizon iewed from the south 15 22 Stone setting in context C30, iewed from the south (photo: Roger Miket) 16 23 Flakes and blades of baked mudstone (photo: NMS) 20 24 Flakes and blades of baked mudstone (photo: NMS) 20 25 Large blades of baked mudstone (photo: NMS) 21 26 Flakes and blades of chalcedonic silica (photo: NMS). 21 27 Baked mudstone artefacts with surface alteration, as a percentage of all baked mudstone artefacts in each context 23 28 Blades (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 25 29 Cores (photo: Alan Saille/NMS) . 26 30 Microliths (photo: NMS) 27 31 Microliths, microburins and related forms (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 28 32 Scrapers, piercers, edge-trimmed bladelet and miscellaneous retouched piece (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 32 33 Beel-ended tools (photo: NMS) 35 34 Large beel-ended tools (photo: NMS) . 36 35 Beel-ended tools and points (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 38 36 Beel-ended tools and points (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 39 37 Large beel-ended tools (drawn by Marion O’Neil) 40 38 Combined beel-ended tool and point (photo: Alan Saille) 41 39 Bone points (photo: NMS) 41 40 Copper-alloy pin (photo: NMS) . 42 41 Copper-alloy pin (drawn by Alan Braby) 42 42 The relatie abundance of taxa in major wet-sieed samples 47 43 Percentage proportions of fish bone weights recoered by different methods 56 44 Brown bear phalanx CAT 98 from C34 (photo: NMS). 58 45 The age distribution of bones from large game 59 46 The distribution of size indices calculated from the parameters of red deer measurements from mainland sites 59 47 The weight to length distribution of bevel-ended tools (‘limpet scoops’) and potential raw materials (refuse bone splinters) . 60 48 The possible origins of vertebrate remains in the An Corran midden deposits. 61 49 Temporal changes in the frequencies of limpets, periwinkles and other shellfish . 62 50 Frequency histograms of length/height ratios (L/H) of limpet shells from successive phases.. 63 51 Radiocarbon-dated bevel-ended tools (after sampling) (photo: Alan Saville) . 73 52 Radiocarbon-dated bones (before sampling) (photo: Alan Saville). 76 53 Divergent dietary signals from An Corran and other west coast of Scotland δ15N and δ13C data . 77 vi LIST OF TABLES 1 Contexts . ..
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