Simpson, I. A., Dockrill, S. J. and Guttmann, E. B A. (2004). Arable agriculture in prehistory: new evidence from soils in the Northern Isles. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 134. Vol 134, pp. 53-64.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
Arable agriculture in prehistory: new evidence from soils in the Northern Isles | |||||||||||||
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Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 134 | |||||||||||||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland | |||||||||||||
Volume Volume number and part |
134 | |||||||||||||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
53 - 64 | |||||||||||||
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Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. |
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
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Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
A Neolithic agricultural soil, a Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age soil and a range of midden deposits were analysed from the multi-period settlement sites of Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney and Old Scatness, Shetland. The analysis was undertaken in order to compare the midden material which had accumulated within the settlement to the cultural material in the arable fields. The comparison was undertaken in order to determine whether manuring was practices in the Neolithic and, if so, to identify which material were selected as fertilizers. Thin section micromorphology, phosphate analysis, particle size distribution and loss on ignition were used to identify and characterize the materials which were added to the soil. The results indicate that in the Neolithic period at Tofts Ness the middens themselves were cultivated, although midden material was also added as fertilizer to the fields around the site. The cultivation of midden heaps in the Neolithic may have been a common practice and is evidence for intensive arable agriculture on a small scale. The cultivation of a Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age midden at Old Scatness, Shetland suggests continuity of the practice. Parallels are drawn with other Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age sites. | |||||||||||||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2004 | |||||||||||||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
ADS Archive
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
26 Sep 2005 |
