EHG5624 - Excavation - Staffin Bay, Skye

Archaeological excavations were undertaken by UHI Archaeology Institute in 2015 to investigate a suspected Mesolithic site above the raised beach at the eastern end of Staffin Bay. Mesolithic-type worked stone had been noted at the site for a number of years. Geophysical and topographic survey was undertaken at the site before excavation started; the results defined the site area and nearby lazy beds (see EHG5622 and EHG5623). A small evaluation trench established that a small circular stone-built enclosure was built upon the former topsoil, and is likely to date to the post-medieval period rather than forming a prehistoric house. Dark layers below the structure, however, yielded high quantities of worked lithics, in the form of flakes, cores and microliths. Carbonised hazelnut shells were also recovered and these have been radiocarbon dated to the Mesolithic period c.6800 – 6600 BC (calibrated). In-situ structures and hearths relating to the lithics and burnt material were not evident, although only a small area was excavated. The site appears to have been one of several gathering places for hunter-gatherer groups along Staffin Bay, including the contemporary rock shelter at nearby An Corran. <1>