Hunter-gatherer bones at unique Scottish site of human remains shows enduring appeal of prehistoric marine diet
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
The unique island home of Britain’s only 5th century human remains shows marine diets and large-scale agriculture overlapped in Mesolithic times
A selection of bone fragments from Cnoc Coig© Sophy CharltonOut of 20 highly rare human bone fragments found at Cnoc Coig, on Oronsay, 14 were found to have come from one of Britain’s last forager groups. Experts say innovative collagen tests on the “remarkable” remains defy previous assumptions that foraging was swiftly replaced by agriculture at the time, causing a rapid shift in diets.
“Analysing previously unidentified bone fragments shows us that both hunter-gatherer-fisher and farming lifestyles potentially co-existed on the West coast of Scotland for several hundred years,” says the Natural History Museum’s Dr Sophy Charlton, the lead author on a new paper, Finding Britain’s last Hunter-Gatherers.
“Our findings also illustrate how information can be obtained from previously overlooked material. So much research potential lies dormant within ‘unidentifiable’ prehistoric bone fragments, and there is consequently significant potential for the future application of this method to other prehistoric sites.”
Cnoc Coig was first excavated in 1911. More than 60 years later, a more extensive six-year investigation unearthed 49 pieces of human bone, predominantly from the hands and feet, making it the only place in Britain to produce human remains from the period.
“The paucity of human remains from the Late Mesolithic of Britain is puzzling,” says Dr Charlton.
“Although the British Isles may have been less densely populated during this period compared to the Neolithic, many bone-bearing sites have been identified.
“One possibility is that human remains became disarticulated and highly fragmented through cultural practices that rendered them unidentifiable using conventional osteological methods.
“Further analysis has the potential to greatly clarify our understanding of the transition to agriculture in Western Scotland and more broadly across Britain.”
The new fragments increase the number of known human bone fragments from the five Oronsay middens from 55 to 74. Analysts from the universities of York and Cambridge and University College London took part in the research.
- Read the paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
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Three places to discover prehistoric Scotland in
Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, Orkney
When a wild storm on Orkney in 1850 exposed the ruins of ancient dwellings, Skara Brae, the best preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe, was discovered. The excavated farming settlement dates back 5,000 years.
The Scottish Crannog Centre, Perthshire
The Scottish Crannog Centre features a unique reconstruction of an early Iron Age loch-dwelling, built by the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology. This authentic recreation is based on the excavation evidence from the 2,600-year-old site of 'Oakbank Crannog', one of the 18 crannogs preserved in Loch Tay, Scotland.
Cairnpapple Hill, West Lothian
One of the most important prehistoric monuments on the mainland of Scotland, Cairnpapple was used as a burial and ceremonial site from about 3000 to 1400 BC. Good views of east central Scotland may be had from the hill.
