Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Under the Sea: Archaeology and Palaeolandscapes of the Continental Shelf pp 179–195Cite as

Prospecting for Holocene Palaeolandscapes in the Sound of Harris, Outer Hebrides

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 1773 Accesses

Part of the book series: Coastal Research Library ((COASTALRL,volume 20))

Abstract

The Outer Hebrides Coastal Community Marine Archaeology Pilot Project (OHCCMAPP) considered a range of themes across the Outer Hebrides including Maritime History and Transport, Marine Resource Exploitation and Submerged Prehistory potential. This paper introduces the past landscape component, introducing palaeogeographic reconstructions for the Sound of Harris for the mid-Holocene as proxy scenarios for Mesolithic seascapes. These scenarios are based on publicly-available bathymetric datasets, community-informed field investigations and published sources. The implications for the interpretation of the terrestrial archaeological record are discussed with a focus on maritime connections and distribution of intertidal land and by association coastal resources such as shellfish. Areas of potential are identified for future investigation. The influence of sea-level rise on the coastal configuration is considered for the Mesolithic, in particular the positive impact of increased intertidal zone area and increased penetration into the interior of the landscape by boat. A major seaway is indicated linking the Atlantic to the Minch close to the Harris coast in the early Holocene, which provides a direct context for interpreting the Mesolithic (and later periods) at Northton, Harris within a maritime framework.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.marinealsf.org.uk/

  2. 2.

    http://www.marine-aggregate-rea.info/

  3. 3.

    http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/science/MSInteractive

  4. 4.

    http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/marine/scotland/historic-scotland-marine-data-audit

  5. 5.

    Dated peats from the intertidal zone at Hartavagh, South Uist: Tr1-4/50 (SUERC-42567/GU28481): 9643 ± 27 bp (9229–9119 cal BC (52%); 9007–8915 cal BC (36%)). Tr1-4/55 (SUERC-42568/GU28482):10135 ± 28 bp(9896–9745 cal BC (55.5%); 10027–9908 cal BC (32.6%)), calibrated using OxCal 4.1.7 using IntCal 09 curve.

References

  • Ballin TB, Saville A, Tipping R, Ward TAM (2010) An upper Palaeolithic flint and chert assemblage from Howburn farm, south Lanarkshire, Scotland: first results. Oxf J Archaeol 29(4):323–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ballin TB, White R, Richardson P, Neighbour T (2011) An early Mesolithic stone tool assemblage from Clachan harbour, Raasay, Scottish Hebrides. Lithics 31:94–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates MR, Nayling N, Bates R, Dawson S, Huws D, Wickham-Jones C (2013) A multi-disciplinary approach to the archaeological investigation of a bedrock-dominated shallow-marine landscape: an example from the bay of firth, Orkney, UK. Int J Naut Archaeol 42(1):24–43. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2012.00360.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin J, Hale A (2012) Marine, maritime, or submerged prehistory? Contextualizing the prehistoric underwater archaeologies of inland, coastal, and offshore environments. Eur J Archaeol 15:237–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin J, Bicket A, Anderson D, Hale A (2014) A multi-disciplinary approach to researching the intertidal and marine archaeology in the outer Hebrides, Scotland. J Island Coast Archaeol 9:400–424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bicket A (2011) Submerged prehistory: research in context. Marine aggregates levy sustainability fund (MALSF), Science monograph series no. 5. Wessex Archaeology, Edinburgh

    Google Scholar 

  • Bicket A, Firth A, Tizzard L, Benjamin J (2014) Heritage management and submerged prehistory in the United Kingdom. In: Evans AM, Flatman JC, Flemming NC (eds) Prehistoric archaeology on the continental shelf: a global review. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 213–232

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop RR, Church MJ, Rowley-Conwy PA (2010) Excavations at Northton, Western Isles of Scotland, 2010; data structure report. Department of Archaeology, Durham University

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonsall C, Pickard C, Groom P (2013) Boats and pioneer settlement: the Scottish dimension. Nor Archaeol Rev 46(1):87–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley SL, Milne GA, Shennan I, Edwards R (2011) An improved glacial isostatic adjustment model for the British isles. J Quat Sci 26:541–552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen KM, MacDonald K, Joordens JCA, Roebroeks W, Gibbard PL (2011) The earliest occupation of north-West Europe: a coastal perspective. Quat Int 271:79–83. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.11.003

    Google Scholar 

  • Coles B (1998) Doggerland, a speculative survey. Proc Prehist Soc 64:45–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dellino-Musgrave V, Gupta S, Russell M (2009) Marine aggregates and archaeology: a golden harvest? Conserv Manag Archaeol Sites 11(1):29–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards KJ (1996) A Mesolithic of the western and northern isles of Scotland? Evidence from pollen and charcoal. In: Pollard T, Morrison A (eds) The early prehistory of Scotland. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, pp 23–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards KJ (2004) Palaeoenvironments of the late upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods in Scotland and the North Sea area: new work, new thoughts. In: Saville A (ed) Mesolithic Scotland and its neighbours. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, pp 55–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans AM, Flatman JC, Flemming NC (eds) (2014) Prehistoric archaeology on the continental shelf: a global review. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Fettes DJ, Mendum JR, Smith DI, Watson JV (1992) Geology of the outer hebrides. BGS, HMSO, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer A (2011) Stone age on the continental shelf: an eroding resource. In: Benjamin J, Bonsall C, Pickard C, Fischer A (eds) Submerged prehistory. Oxbow, Oxford, pp 298–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Flatman J, Doeser J (2010) The international management of marine aggregates and its relation to maritime archaeology. Hist Environ 1(2):160–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaffney V, Fitch S, Smith D (2009) Europe’s lost world: the rediscovery of Doggerland, CBA research report 160. Council for British Archaeology, York

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrow D, Sturt F (2011) Grey waters bright with Neolithic argonauts? Maritime connections and the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. Antiquity 85(327):59–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gehrels WR (2010) Late Holocene land- and sea-level changes in the British isles: implications for future sea-level predictions. Quat Sci Rev 29(13–14):1648–1660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory RA, Murphy EM, Church MJ, Edwards KJ, Guttmann EB, Simpson DDA (2005) Archaeological evidence for the first Mesolithic occupation of the western isles of Scotland. The Holocene 15(7):944–950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy K, Benjamin J, Bicket A, McCarthy J, Ballin T (2016) Scotland’s Intertidal Prehistory: Lub Dubh Aird, a raw material and knapping site in Upper Loch Torridon. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 145

    Google Scholar 

  • Hijma MP, Cohen KM, Roebroeks W, Westerhoff WE, Busschers FS (2012) Pleistocene Rhine-Thames landscapes: geological background for hominin occupation in the southern North Sea region. J Quat Sci 27:17–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan JT, Smith DE, Dawson S, Dawson AG (2010) Holocene relative sea-level changes in Harris, outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK. J Quat Sci 25:115–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambeck K (1991) Glacial rebound and sea-level change in the British isles. Terra Nova 3(4):379–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambeck K (1993) Glacial rebound of the British isles. II. A high- resolution, high-precision model. Geophys J Int 115:960–990

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long D, Wickham-Jones CR, Ruckley NA (1986) A flint artefact from the northern North Sea. In: Roe DA (ed) Studies in the upper Palaeolithic of Britain and North Western Europe, British archaeological reports international series, vol 296. BAR, Oxford, pp 55–62

    Google Scholar 

  • MCA (2004) Hydrographic lidar survey – sound of Harris HI 1086: specification v1.2. Hydrography, meteorology and ports branch. http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/sound_of_harris.pdf

  • Momber G (2011) Submerged landscape excavations in the Solent, southern Britain: climate change and cultural development. In: Benjamin J, Bonsall C, Pickard C, Fischer A (eds) Submerged prehistory. Oxbow, Oxford, pp 85–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Momber G, Tomalin D, Scaife R, Satchell J, Gillespie J (eds) (2011) Mesolithic occupation at Bouldnor cliff and the submerged prehistoric landscapes of the Solent, CBA research report, vol 164. Council for British Archaeology, York

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltier WR, Shennan I, Drummond R, Horton BP (2002) On the postglacial isostatic adjustment of the British isles and the shallow viscoelastic structure of the earth. Geophys J Int 148:443–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickard C, Bonsall C (2004) Deep-sea fishing in the European Mesolithic: fact or fantasy? Eur J Archaeol 7:273–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reimer PJ, Baillie MGL, Bard E, Bayliss A, Beck JW, Blackwell PG, Bronk Ramsey C, Buck CE, Burr GS, Edwards RL, Friedrich M, Grootes PM, Guilderson TP, Hajdas I, Heaton TJ, Hogg AG, Hughen KA, Kaiser KF, Kromer B, McCormac FG, Manning SW, Reimer RW, Richards DA, Southon JR, Talamo S, Turney CSM, van der Plicht J, Weyhenmeyer CE (2009) IntCal09 and Marine09 radiocarbon age calibration curves, 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 51(4):1111–1150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie W (1980) The beach, dunes and machair landforms of Pabbay, sound of Harris. In: Ranwell DS (ed) Sand dune Machair 3. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Cambridge, pp 13–19. http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/7906/1/Machair3.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie W (1985) Intertidal and sub-tidal organic deposits and sea-level changes in the Uists, outer Hebrides. Scott J Geol 21:161–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scottish Natural Heritage (2011) http://www.snh.gov.uk/about-scotlands-nature/species/mammals/marine-mammals/seals/

  • Shennan I, Horton B (2002) Holocene land- and sea-level changes in great Britain. J Quat Sci 17(5–6):511–526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shennan I, Bradley S, Milne G, Brooks A, Bassett S, Hamilton S (2006) Relative Sea-level changes, glacial isostatic modelling and ice-sheet reconstructions from the British isles since the last glacial maximum. J Quat Sci 21:585–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson D, Murphy E, Gregory R (2006) Excavations at Northton, Isle of Harris, British archaeological reports British series 408. Archaeopress, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith DE, Fretwell PT, Cullingford RA, Firth CR (2006) Towards improved empirical isobase models of Holocene land uplift for mainland Scotland, UK. Philos Trans R Soc A Math Phys Eng Sci 364(1841):949–972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DE, Harrison S, Firth CR, Jordan JT (2011) The early Holocene Sea level rise. Quat Sci Rev 30(15–16):1846–1860

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturt F, Garrow D, Bradley S (2013) New models of north west European Holocene palaeogeography and inundation. J Archaeol Sci 40:3963–3976. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2013.05.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tipping R (1996) Microscopic charcoal records, inferred human activity and climatic change in Mesolithic of northernmost Scotland. In: Pollard T, Morrison A (eds) The early prehistory of Scotland. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, pp 39–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Tipping R (2004) Interpretative issues concerning the driving forces of vegetation change in the early Holocene of the British isles. In: Saville A (ed) Mesolithic Scotland and its neighbours. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, pp 45–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Tizzard L, Bicket AR, Benjamin J, De Loecker D (2014) A middle Palaeolithic site in the southern North Sea: investigating the archaeology and palaeogeography of area 240. J Quat Sci 29(7):698–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waddington C (ed) (2007) Mesolithic settlement in the North Sea basin: a case study from Howick, north-East England. Oxbow, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanner H, Solomina O, Grosjean M, Ritz SP, Jetel M (2011) Structure and origin of Holocene cold events. Quat Sci Rev 30(21–22):3109–3123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weninger B, Schulting R, Bradtmöller M, Clare L, Collard M, Edinborough K, Hilpert J, Jöris O, Niekus M, Rohling EJ et al (2008) The catastrophic final flooding of Doggerland by the Storegga slide tsunami. Doc Praehist 35(Neolithic Studi):1–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wessex Archaeology (2004) Artefacts from the Sea. Unpublished report ref: 51541.05

    Google Scholar 

  • Wessex Archaeology (2009) Seabed prehistory. doi:10.5284/1000050

  • Wessex Archaeology (2011) Scottish marine historic environment data audit: sources for the enhancement of the coastal and marine historic environment record. Unpublished report for Historic Scotland, ref: 76680.01

    Google Scholar 

  • Wessex Archaeology (2013) Audit of current state of knowledge of submerged palaeolandscapes and sites. Unpublished Report ref: 84570.02: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/audit-current-state-knowledge-submerged-palaeolandscapes-sites/

  • Westley K, Bell K, Quinn R, Plets R (2011) Investigating submerged archaeological landscapes: a research strategy illustrated with case studies from Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada. In: Benjamin J, Bonsall C, Pickard C, Fischer A (eds) Submerged prehistory. Oxbow, Oxford, pp 65–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Westley K, Plets R, Quinn R (2014) Holocene paleo-geographic reconstructions of the Ramore head area, Northern Ireland, using geophysical and geotechnical data: paleo-landscape mapping and archaeological implications. Geoarchaeology 29(6):411–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Historic Scotland for funding the OHCCMAPP. The support of various members of the communities of Grimsay, Locheynort, Stornoway, Manish and Lochboisdale greatly aided the project team in the field. Marine Harvest at Lochboisdale is thanked for logistical support and transport to and from Hairteabhagh. Philip Robertson and Rod McCullough at Historic Scotland are thanked for supporting the radiocarbon dating assay and geophysical analyses and the project in general. Various staff members made significant contributions to the field and reporting efforts of the OHCCMAPP from within the project partner organizations, in particular Abby Mynett, John McCarthy, Simon Davidson (WA Coastal & Marine), George Geddes, Dave Cowley and Kevin Grant (RCAHMS). Additionally, we thank all those who reported finds sites and stories to the OHCCMAPP team for their time and interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. WA Coastal & Marine, 7–9 North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1AW, UK

    Andrew Bicket

  2. Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK

    Andrew Bicket

  3. AOC Archaeology Group, Edgefield Road Industrial Estate, Loanhead, Midlothian, EH20 9SY, UK

    Genevieve Shaw

  4. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, 2100, Adelaide, 5001, Australia

    Jonathan Benjamin

Authors
  1. Andrew Bicket
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Genevieve Shaw
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jonathan Benjamin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Bicket .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom

    Geoffrey N. Bailey

  2. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  3. Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, Greece

    Dimitris Sakellariou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bicket, A., Shaw, G., Benjamin, J. (2017). Prospecting for Holocene Palaeolandscapes in the Sound of Harris, Outer Hebrides. In: Bailey, G., Harff, J., Sakellariou, D. (eds) Under the Sea: Archaeology and Palaeolandscapes of the Continental Shelf. Coastal Research Library, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53160-1_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation