Clarke, D. V., Sheridan, A., Shepherd, A. N., Sharples, N. M., Armour-Chelu, M. Jane., Hamlet, L., Bronk-Ramsey, C., Dunbar, E., Reimer, P. J., Marshall, P. D. and Whittle, A. W R. (2016). The end of the world, or just ‘goodbye to all that’? Contextualising the red deer heap from Links of Noltland, Westray, within late 3rd-millennium cal bc Orkney. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 146. Vol 146, pp. 57-89. https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.146.1226. Cite this via datacite

Title The title of the publication or report Title:	The end of the world, or just ‘goodbye to all that’? Contextualising the red deer heap from Links of Noltland, Westray, within late 3rd-millennium cal bc Orkney
Issue The name of the volume or issue Issue:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 146
Series The series the publication or report is included in Series:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Volume Volume number and part Volume:	146
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. Page Start/End:	57 - 89
Downloads Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS Downloads:	3PSAS14657_89.pdf (6 MB) : Download
Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. Licence Type:	ADS Terms of Use and Access
DOI The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report. DOI	https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.146.1226
Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book Publication Type:	Journal
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report Abstract:	As part of a major international research project, The Times of Their Lives, a programme of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modelling was undertaken to refine the chronology of activities in one small but important part of the extensive Late Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement on Links of Noltland on the island of Westray, Orkney. The selected area (Trench D) is well known for having produced, next to a wall, the remains of a heap of at least 15 red deer carcasses, on top of which had been placed a large cod, a gannet’s wing along with part of a greater black-backed gull, and a pair of large antlers. This remarkable deposit had been preceded by, and was followed by, periods of cultivation and the deposition of domestic refuse. Refined date estimates have been produced, based on 18 radiocarbon determinations obtained from 16 samples from Trench D (including nine newly obtained dates, three from individual deer in the heap). These clarify when, during this long sequence of activities, the deer were heaped up: probably in the 22nd century cal bc, around the same time as Beaker pottery was deposited elsewhere on the Links. This allows comparison between the dated activities in this part of the site with activity elsewhere on the Links and also with other episodes of deer deposition in 3rd-millennium cal bc Orkney. It encourages exploration of the possible reasons for what appears to be a remarkable act of structured deposition. The significance of an earlier, much larger scale deposit featuring cattle remains at Ness of Brodgar is discussed in exploring the nature of Orcadian society and practices during the second half of the 3rd millennium cal bc.
Author The authors of this publication or report Author:	David V Clarke Alison Sheridan Alexandra N Shepherd Niall M Sharples Miranda Jane Armour-Chelu Laura Hamlet Christopher Bronk-Ramsey E Dunbar Paula J Reimer Peter D Marshall Alasdair W R Whittle
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published Year of Publication:	2016
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Locations:	Site: Red Deer Heap Site: Links of Noltland Place: Westray County: Orkney Country: Scotland Country: United Kingdom Grid Reference: 342850, 1049350 (Easting, Northing)
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Subjects / Periods:	ANIMAL REMAINS (Object England) The Times of Their Lives (Event) antler (Find) deposition (Event) red deer (Find) Grooved Ware pottery (Find) fish skeleton (Find) bird remains (Find) LATE NEOLITHIC (Historic England Periods) BRONZE AGE (Historic England Periods)
Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. Source:	ADS Archive (ADS Archive)
Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report Relations:	URI: http://www.socantscot.org/publications/psas/
Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered Created Date:	23 Nov 2017