| Abstract: |
This monograph begins with a brief introduction to the project -- excavation of sites to provide information for policies to conserve rich upland archaeological areas -- and to the island of Arran. The second section describes the results at Tormore on Later Bronze Age hut circles and field banks, with earlier clearance cairns; at Kilpatrick on Neolithic burial cairns, a Later Bronze Age unenclosed platform settlement and Neolithic and Iron Age fields; and at Machrie North on Mesolithic activity, Neolithic fields with a house, Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age clearance cairns, Early Bronze Age burnt mounds and Late Bronze Age hut circles. The third section summarises this work, comparing the sites of the three areas and assessing their contribution to Scottish prehistory and to future excavations in comparable soils and settings. There is particular discussion of soils and archaeological features, peat formation, field systems, the end of the Later Bronze Age and of implications for cultural resource management. There are seven pottery reports by A MacSween: `The pottery from 10/1' (21), `Pottery from 16/2' (41), `Pottery from 16/3' (46), `Pottery from 24/3' (84--5), `Pottery from cairn 24/7C' (89--91), `Pottery from 24/01' (94) and `Appendix I; Pottery catalogue' (169--72). N Finlay contributes eighteen reports on: `Chipped stone from 10/1' (22--5), `Flint' (27--9), `Flint and pitchstone artefacts' (29--30), `Flint and pitchstone artefacts' (38--9), `Flint and pitchstone' (41--2), `Flint and pitchstone' (46--7), `Flint and pitchstone' (48), `Flint and pitchstone' (49), `Flint and pitchstone from the Fernie Bank' (58--60), `Flint and pitchstone from the soil test pits' (65--7), `Flint' (80), `Flint and pitchstone from 24/3' (86--7), `Flint from 24/7C' (91), `Flint and pitchstone from 24/01' (94--5), `Flint and pitchstone from cultivation area 24/50' (109), `Flint from 24/51' (112), `Lithics from the Arran sites; summary and discussion' (131--6) and `Appendix II; lithics catalogue' (173--80). Other contributions are: `Carbonised plant remains' by A D Fairweather & R McCullagh (13--21), `Kilpatrick soils' S Carter (34), `Chemical analyses of samples from soil pits' S Carter & M Dalland (64--5), `Vegetation survey' S Greshon (72--5), `Charred plant remains from 24/3' S Boardman (85--6) and `A radiocarbon-dated pollen diagram from Machrie Moor' by D E Robinson & J H Dickson (113--20). BOC |
