Scotland's intertidal prehistory

Abstract

Sea-level rise and coastal change have impacted on the visibility of early to mid-Holocene sites worldwide. Due to the combination of eustatic and isostatic effects, modern coastal landscapes rarely reflect those occupied and exploited by prehistoric people. This suggests that intertidal and marine archaeology is set to become increasingly important in future studies of the coastal populations of prehistoric Britain. Though Scotland’s west coast is renowned for its abundance of evidence for the Mesolithic, the potential for intertidal sites has barely been investigated. We report on a newly discovered raw material source and primary knapping location on the beach and across the intertidal zone at Lub Dubh Aird, Upper Loch Torridon. Our results suggest that a multi-disciplinary approach to investigation into early prehistoric human occupation of the west Scottish coastline – that incorporates survey of intertidal zones together with the upper beach and nearby areas – is essential to fully appreciate the range of sites present and to allow these to be integrated into a better understanding of coastal landscape use at this time.