Ballin, T. Bjarke. (2004). The worked quartz vein at Cnoc Dubh, Uig parish, Isles of Lewis, Western Isles:. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. https://doi.org/10.5284/1017938.

In 2002, an examination was carried out of a small quartz vein at the knoll of Cnoc Dubh, a few hundred metres from the southern shores of Loch Ceann Hulabhig on the Isle of Lewis (NGR NB 2318 2998). The vein proved to have been worked in prehistoric time, defining it as a quarry, and it was measured, photographed and characterized. In the present paper, the Cnoc Dubh quartz quarry is presented in detail, to allow comparison with other lithic quarries, and it is attempted to define attributes diagnostic of prehistoric exploitation, and to schematically describe the 'mining operations' by which the quartz was procured. As part of this process,quartz quarrying is compared to the procurement of other lithic and stone raw materials, mainly drawing on research from Scandinavia, Australia and the USA, and the location of quartz quarries in relation to prehistoric settlements is discussed. The average distance between quartz sources and Neolithic - Bronze Age sites on Lewis is then used to discuss ownership of, and access to, prehistoric quartz sources, as well as the possible exchange of quartz.

The site is located in a rich ritual landscape whose focal point is the ritual complex of Calanais. The immediate surroundings of the quarry include a number of features such as stone structures and signs of agricultural activity. The vein and its associated activities cannot be dated more precisely than to the period before the abandonment of flaked lithic technology which on Lewis may have happened in the late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age.

During the initial inspection of the vein, it soon became clear that it had been exploited by prehistoric people. The main revealing attributes are 'stepping', circular impact scars, and denticulated 'platform-edges'. These features and others are described and illustrated in detail.

The date for exploitation of the quarry vein is broad - Neolithic to Bronze Age and possibly into the early Iron Age. Future examination of nearby structures might help refine this. The quarrying of quartz is compared to quarrying of other lithic raw materials. The relationship between quartz sources and settlements is considered along with ownership of/access to quartz sources and quartz exchange.