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Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic carbonised remains in riverine deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

Piper, S.F.; Bishop, R.R.; Rowley-Conwy, P.A.; Elliott, L.; Church, M.J.

Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic carbonised remains in riverine deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland Thumbnail


Authors

S.F. Piper

R.R. Bishop

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Lorne Elliott lorne.elliott@durham.ac.uk
Senior Technician (Paleoenvironmental)



Abstract

This paper presents the results of a palaeoenvironmental investigation of riverine deposits containing charred heathland plant material, recovered during an archaeological survey of Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland. This survey was conducted to identify Mesolithic occupation in the interior of the island and was undertaken as part of a wider project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles. The recovery of carbonised material of Mesolithic date is discussed in light of the long-standing debate on detecting hunter-gatherer impact on environments using palaeoenvironmental records. The findings are compared to regional pollen sequences, where peaks in micro-charcoal levels and associated reductions in arboreal pollen are interpreted as evidence for anthropogenic fire ecology. These have been identified in areas where archaeological evidence for human occupation is absent. It is argued that this site reflects deliberate burning of vegetation by humans, most likely a small hearth, and therefore represents the first direct inferred evidence for the Mesolithic in the interior of the Western Isles.

Citation

Piper, S., Bishop, R., Rowley-Conwy, P., Elliott, L., & Church, M. (2018). Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic carbonised remains in riverine deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland. Journal of the North Atlantic, 35, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3721/037.006.3501

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 21, 2018
Online Publication Date Sep 25, 2018
Publication Date Sep 25, 2018
Deposit Date Sep 28, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of the North Atlantic
Print ISSN 1935-1933
Electronic ISSN 1935-1933
Publisher Eagle Hill Institute
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 35
Pages 1-22
DOI https://doi.org/10.3721/037.006.3501

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Any further replication or distribution of the article, either in whole or in part, except for personal research purposes, is not allowed except with the written permission of the publisher, the Eagle Hill Institute.





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