Islay, Port Na Seilich

NR 43022 67506 Pigs foraging in the undergrowth of what appears to be a rock cut platform a few metres above the current high tide level at Dunlossit exposed chipped stone artefacts. Susan Campbell and Donald James McPhee collected an assemblage of c200 pieces of worked flint and quartz in the spring of 2009. Steven Mithen then inspected it and Anne Pirie analysed a sample in the summer of 2009. The flint artefacts are mainly from a platform technology. Three cores, numerous core trimming elements and three bladelets

are present. The quartz artefacts include several flakes and one bipolar core. The condition of the assemblage is slightly battered and patinated and includes some tripolitic artefacts, suggesting immersion in water or acidic conditions. Tools include several awls on blade/lets and marginally retouched blade segments. Overall, the assemblage appears Mesolithic in character, although only a small sample of the artefacts have so far been examined.

Archive: Islay Museum

Funder: University of Reading

Steven Mithen, Susan Campbell, Donald James McPhee and Anne Pirie – University of Reading

NR 43035 67449 A scatter of chipped stone artefacts was discovered by Donald James McPhee on a coastal terrace at Rubha Port an t-Seilich in 2009. Several hundred pieces of chipped stone were collected and subsequently identified by Mithen as falling within the Mesolithic tradition of western Scotland. The chipped stone assemblage comprised platform cores with numerous core trimming elements including a core tablet and plunging blade, along with awls, retouched bladelets and marginally retouched blade segments. A site evaluation by test pitting, carried out in August 2010 established the presence of a complex sequence of stratified archaeological features and sediments, containing Mesolithic and later prehistoric artefacts. A large assemblage of chipped stone (c9400 pieces) was collected during the evaluation. Charred plant remains were also recovered. A reconnaissance survey carried out by the IHMP during the site evaluation recorded scatters of chipped stone artefacts on terraces situated immediately to the S at NR 43131 67181, NR 43110 67138, NR 43118 67082 and NR 43113 67073.

Archive: Museum of Islay Life, Port Charlotte, Islay

Funder: University of Reading

Steven Mithen and Karen Wicks – University of Reading

NR 43035 67449 Site evaluation by test pitting, carried out by a team from the University of Reading in 2010, indicated the presence of a complex sequence of stratified archaeological deposits situated on a coastal terrace at Rubha Port an t-Seilich. Black organic-rich horizons exposed in the test pits were shown to contain dense concentrations of chipped stone artefacts similar in form to those ascribed to the Mesolithic narrow-blade industries found in western Scotland. Six radiocarbon dates obtained from single entity fragments of charred hazelnut shell (Beta-288425, 7010±50BP; BP; Beta-288424, 7540±40BP; Beta-288428, 7660±40BP; Beta-288423, 7820±40BP; Beta-288426, 8230±40BP and Beta-288427, 8240±40BP) indicate that inferred human activity at the site is amongst the earliest known for western Scotland, occurring between c9000–7700 cal BP. Excavation of a slot trench (1 x 27m) positioned across the centre of the terrace was undertaken in August 2013, with the principle aims of resolving the stratigraphic relationship of the organic-rich horizons and to obtain associated material suitable for radiocarbon dating. A multi-phase hearth-like structure, along with caches of elongated stone tools and raw materials, were encountered in association with the black organic-rich horizons containing Mesolithic cultural remains. Deposits were systematically sampled and wet sieved on-site, generating substantial quantities of chipped and coarse stone artefacts, charred plant remains and burnt bone.

Archive: Museum of Islay Life, Port Charlotte, Islay

Funder: University of Reading

Steven Mithen and Karen Wicks, University of Reading, 2013

(Source: DES)

NR 43035 67449 Excavation in August and September 2022 continued the 4 x 5m trench centred over the Mesolithic fireplace that was initiated in 2018 and continued in 2019 and 2021.

Chipped and coarse stone artefacts continued to be abundant, along with charcoal, charred hazelnut shell and calcined animal bone. A large stone-lined pit was excavated at southern end of the trench, showing similarities to those excavated by John Mercer at Lussa Wood, Isle of Jura. Excavation reached the natural in a 1m strip at the western end of the trench, a glacial head deposit. Stone artefacts were embedded within the upper few centimetres of this deposit. Dr Inger Berg-Hansen (Oslo) has identified the artefact assemblage within the lower levels of the site as belonging to the Early Mesolithic Maglemosian (Broad Blade) culture based on core technology and type artefacts, notably an isosceles triangle and obliquely blunted points. These levels have been securely radiocarbon dated to mid-9th millennium BC, providing the first absolute dates for the Early Mesolithic in Scotland. With the upper levels of the site having Narrow Blade artefacts, dated to the 5th and 6th millennium BC, there appears to be a continuous sequence of activity at Rubha Port an t-Seilich throughout the known duration of the Mesolithic in Scotland.

Archive: Islay Museum of Island Life

Funder: University of Reading, Royal Archaeological Institute, and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Steven Mithen – University of Reading

(Source: DES Volume 23)