SAIR45Late Neolithic and Late Bronze Age lithic assemblages associated with a cairn and other prehistoric features at Stoneyhill Farm, Longhaven, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, 2002–03
by Ian Suddaby and Torben Ballin
with contributions by M Cressey, M Hastie, A Jackson and M Johnson
Illustrations prepared by Kevin Hicks, George Mudie and Leeanne Whitelaw
ISBN 978 090 390 354 7
Published in January 2011 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).
Abstract
Prehistoric remains were recorded by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) in 2002–03 during a programme of fieldwork at the landfill site within the boundaries of Stoneyhill Farm, which lies 7km to the southwest of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. These included a clearance cairn with a Late Bronze Age lithic assemblage and a burial cairn, with Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age lithics and Beaker ceramics. Other lithic scatters of similar date had no certain associations, although pits containing near-contemporary Impressed Wares were nearby. Additional lithic assemblages included material dated to the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. What may be proto-Unstan Wares in an isolated pit were associated with radiocarbon dates (barley) of the first half of the fourth millennium bc. These findings represent a substantial addition to the local area's archaeological record and form an important contribution to the understanding of lithic technology and ceramics in earlier prehistoric Scotland.
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Ian Shepherd, whose site visits enlightened this and other projects undertaken by one of the authors (IS).
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Report content
| i | Title Page |
| iii | Table of Contents |
| v | List of Illustrations |
| vi | List of Tables |
| 1 | Abstract |
| 2 | Introduction |
| 2.1 | The Stoneyhill project |
| 2.2 | Site location, topography and geology |
| 2.3 | Archaeological background |
| 3 | Methods |
| 4 | Archaeological Results |
| 4.1 | Introduction |
| 4.2 | Area 1 |
| 4.2.1 | Area 1 sites |
| 4.2.2 | Clearance Cairn 7/4 |
| 4.2.3 | Lithic scatter under modern Cairn 7/6 |
| 4.2.4 | Burial Cairn 7/17 |
| 4.2.5 | Test-pitting |
| 4.3 | Area 2: investigation of previously recorded sites |
| 4.4 | Area 2: investigation of newly discovered prehistoric sites |
| 4.4.1 | Dun na Cluaich lithic scatter |
| 4.4.2 | North Aldie Farm, pits, post-holes and lithic scatter |
| 4.4.3 | North Aldie Farm: isolated features, Grid K and pit F81 |
| 5 | Prehistoric finds and environmental evidence |
| 5.1 | Prehistoric pottery by Melanie Johnson |
| 5.1.1 | Introduction |
| 5.1.2 | Cairn 7/17 |
| 5.1.3 | North Aldie Farm |
| 5.1.4 | Conclusions |
| 5.2 | Lithic artefacts by Torben Ballin |
| 5.2.1 | Introduction and aims |
| 5.2.2 | Methodology |
| 5.2.3 | Overview of the recovered raw materials |
| 5.2.4 | Cairn 7/4 |
| 5.2.5 | Lithic artefacts beneath Cairn 7/6 |
| 5.2.6 | Cairn 7/17 (deposit 7183) |
| 5.2.7 | Cairn 7/17 (cairn fill) |
| 5.2.8 | Test-pit Grid E |
| 5.2.9 | Test-pit Grid F |
| 5.2.10 | Various other Area 1 contexts |
| 5.2.11 | Site 4 |
| 5.2.12 | Site 12/Test-pit Grid B |
| 5.2.13 | Dun na Cluaich |
| 5.2.14 | Test-pit Grid J |
| 5.2.15 | Grid K, Pit F81, with adjacent areas |
| 5.2.16 | Other Area 2 contexts |
| 5.2.17 | Conclusion: overview; assemblage date and character |
| 5.3 | Coarse stone by Adam Jackson |
| 5.4 | Charcoal and charred plant remains by Mhairi Hastie and Mike Cressey |
| 5.5 | Radiocarbon dating |
| 6 | Discussion and Conclusions |
| 6.1 | Introduction |
| 6.2 | Prehistoric activity |
| 6.3 | Conclusions |
| 7 | Acknowledgements |
| 8 | References |
| 8.1 | Bibliographic |
| 8.2 | Cartographic |
Published 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).
Use http://www.sair.org.uk/ to cite this page.
Page last modified by Seren Langley on Thursday 20 January 2011.