SAIR 12:Camas Daraich: a Mesolithic site at the Point of Sleat, Skye

by Caroline R Wickham-Jones and Karen Hardy

with contributions by Ann Clarke, Michael Cressey, Kevin J Edwards and Anthony Newton

ISBN 0-903903-82-2

Published in December 2004 by The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in association with The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, in Adobe Acrobat format. Available free of charge (see Terms & Conditions of Use).

Report Summary

The archaeological site of Camas Daraich (on the peninsula of the Point of Sleat, in south-west Skye) was revealed in November 1999 when stone tools were discovered in the upcast from a newly bulldozed track. Excavation took place in May 2000, directed by the authors and under the auspices of Historic Scotland, the Centre for Field Archaeology and the Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh. The excavations were small-scale and brief, but they demonstrated the survival of stratified features (scoops and a possible hearth) as well as an assemblage of nearly 5000 flaked lithics, comprising both tools and debris. There was no organic preservation, with the exception of burnt hazelnut shell. The composition of the lithic assemblage suggested that the excavated site was Mesolithic and this was confirmed by the radiocarbon determinations, which place it securely in the mid 7th millennium BC. Surface material suggested that there was evidence for more recent prehistoric (stone-tool-using) activity in the vicinity. Although the archaeological work at Camas Daraich was limited, the site is interesting for several reasons. First, it is one of a growing number of sites in the area with early dates for human settlement (until the mid 1980s dated Mesolithic evidence was lacking in the north of Scotland). Second, the lithic raw materials in use at Camas Daraich connect it firmly to a wider network of sites and provide conclusive evidence for human mobility. Third, further Mesolithic material is likely to survive at Camas Daraich so that the future well-being of the site is an important issue. Fourth, though there was no organic preservation, used pumice was recovered and this is rare on Mesolithic sites. Fifth, the lithics include both narrow-blade tools and conventionally broader/larger pieces and the relationship between these two traditions is still poorly understood in Scottish archaeology. Camas Daraich suggests that they may not be as clearly separated as previously thought.

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Report content

	Title Page
	Table of content
	List of Illustrations
	List of Tables
1	Summary
2	Introduction	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
3	Location and pre-excavation information	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
	3.1 Location
	3.2 Pre-excavation information
4	Excavation	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
	4.1 Methods
	4.2 Results
	4.2.1 Trench 1
	4.2.2 Test pits
	4.2.3 Soil pits
	4.2.4 Other sites
5	Flaked lithics	C R Wickham Jones
	5.1 Introduction
	5.2 Raw materials
	5.3 Primary technology
	5.4 Secondary technology
	5.5 Nature of the flaked lithic assemblage
	5.6 Distribution of the flaked lithic assemblage
	5.7 Cultural and chronological connections
	5.8 Summary
6	Microwear analysis of a sample of flaked stone tools	Karen Hardy
	6.1 Introduction
	6.2 Methods
	6.3 Results
	6.4 Interpretation of use
	6.5 Raw material
	6.6 Selection by size
	6.7 Presence of microwear on retouched pieces
	6.7.1 Microwear on unretouched blades
	6.7.2 Microwear on unretouched flakes and chunks
	6.8 Presence of microwear on retouched pieces
	6.9 Points and tips
	6.10 Refits and usewear
	6.11 Artefact distribution and usewear
	6.12 Traces of movement
	6.13 Summary
7	Coarse stone tools	A Clarke
8	Pumice	A Newton
	8.1 Background
	8.2 Pumice at Camas Daraich
	8.3 The worked pumice	C R Wickham Jones
	8.4 Summary
9	Other artefacts	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
10	Environmental interpretation	M Cressey & K J Edwards
	10.1 Geology and soils
	10.1.1 Soil Pit 1
	10.1.2 Soil Pit 2
	10.1.3 Soil Pit 3
	10.1.4 Discussion
	10.2 Geomorphology and palaeo-environment	M Cressey
	10.2.1 Background
	10.2.2 Results
	10.2.3 Discussion
	10.3 Macroscopic organic material	M Cressey
	10.4 On-site pollen	K J Edwards
	10.4.1 Pollen samples
	10.4.2 Description
	10.4.3 Methods and presentation of results
	10.4.4 Discussion
	10.5 General environmental interpretation	K J Edwards
11	Radiocarbon determinations	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
12	Interpretation and discussion	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
	12.1 Site location
	12.2 Human activity
	12.3 The nature of the Mesolithic and the role of the site
	12.4 The wider Mesolithic world
13	The future of the site	C R Wickham Jones & Karen Hardy
14	Acknowledgements
15	References
16	Glossary and notes to the lithic catalogue
17	List of contexts
18	Catalogue of lithic material
19	Detailed results of the microwear analysis of lithic artefacts	K Hardy