| Abstract: |
Derek Alexander</xb> first reviews `Previous archaeological work' (1--3): prior to the 1960s there was no systematic archaeological fieldwork, though information on a few sites and discoveries can be gleaned from earlier sources dating back to the eighteenth century. The same author then provides a overview of the archaeological evidence for prehistoric activity, including upstanding remains and cropmarks complemented by the distribution of artefacts and divided chronologically into Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age in `Sites and artefacts: the prehistory of Renfrewshire' (5--22).Daniel Stables (23--8) describes excavation of `South Mound Cairn, Houston', which produced evidence for multi-period use. Mesolithic flints and pits containing Neolithic pottery represented pre-cairn activity; these pits were sealed by a round cairn with a cist containing an inhumation accompanied by a food vessel and flint knife. A trial trench south of the mound revealed a Bronze Age burial area with the remains of jet necklaces (see also 80/7143). `Picketlaw hut circle, Moyne Moor -- an interim report' by Derek Alexander & Bruce Henry (29--32) records one of the few hut circles in the west of Scotland to have been excavated. Excavation at `Knockmade homestead, Lochwinnoch' by Robin Livens (33--41) revealed remains of two hut circles enclosed by a bank, which overlay traces of earlier occupation; finds suggest a general first millennium date and occupation after the third--second century BC. Helen Nisbet (43--58) reports excavation of `Craigmarloch hillfort, Kilmacolm' which was probably erected in the early eighth century BC; the original palisade was destroyed and replaced by another following the same line. This stockade was replaced by a smaller timber-laced stone fort within the earlier enclosure, which was in turn destroyed by fire, vitrifying the wall core. The site was then deserted and remained unoccupied throughout the Roman period. At an unknown later date, outworks were added and minor modifications made within the fort. Intermittent occupation during the Middle Ages is suggested by the name of the hill. `Human impact on the vegetation around Walls Hill' by Susan Ramsay (59--63) describes pollen analysis of a peat profile from Walls Hill Bog, near Howwood, which provides evidence of woodland clearance and agriculture, tentatively related to archaeological remains in the area. Excavation of `The ditched enclosure at Shiels, Govan, Glasgow' by Jack G Scott (65--70) revealed evidence for a Late Iron Age enclosed settlement containing traces of at least four roundhouses; later re-use of the site may be dated to the medieval period. Derek Alexander (71--2) concludes by making suggestions for `Future research'. BOC |
