MHG301 - Lithic Scatter, Dahl House
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- LITHIC SCATTER (Mesolithic to Neolithic - 8000 BC? to 2401 BC?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Over 100 flint and bloodstone flakes and two crumbs of unglazed pottery were found in a drain behind the house and several flint and pitchstone flakes and a curved piece of lignite were dug up in the garden. A saddle quern, obviously moved from its original site during road construction works, was found behind the byre. The boulder on which it occurred measured 0.54m x 0.37m. On the convex under-surface was a single cup mark 0.08m in diameter by 0.03m deep. <1>
Finds are in Royal Museum of Scotland (NMS). <2>
Listed during a preliminary survey of archaeological sites was carried out in Glen Hurich Forest. <3>
This assemblage was re-examined in light of work at sites around Loch Doilean. The lithic assemblage from Dahl House included 125 pieces, most of which was debitage (90%). Six pieces were diminutive platform cores, with two cores being bipolar. In addition, two small scrapers were also recovered. Four piecesof debitage were of bloodstone.
Although the general size and character of the individual artefacts suggest that most of the assemblage was late Mesolithic, some pieces were clearly later. A pitchstone microblade core was likely to date to the early Neolithic (Ballin 2009), a Yorkshire flint and one oblique arrowhead date to the middle or late Neolithic periods (Ballin 2011b) and a fragment of a shale bangle was either later Neolithic or early Bronze Age (Shepherd 1985). <4>
The lithic assemblage is listed in the NMS catalogue under Acc. Nos. ACA 360- ACA 378 and ACA 382.The fragment of shale bangle is listed in the NMS catalogue under Acc. No. FN 203. <5>
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SHG517 Text/Publication/Article: Kirby, J. 1983. 'Dahl House, Polloch (Ardnamurchan p) flint, bloodstone flakes, lignite, saddle quern', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1983, p.13. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 13. 13.
- <2> SHG600 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1981. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 110 1978-80, p.535-544. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 535-544. 535, 540.
- <3> SHG854 Text/Publication/Article: Kirby, J. 1992. 'Glen Hurich Forest, Lochaber Forest District (Ardnamurchan parish): survey of Forestry Commission land', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1992, p.43. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 43. 43.
- <4> SHG27493 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Ellis, C.. 2016. ARO20: Activities in the Woods: Platforms and a lithic scatter, Loch Doilean, Sunart, Lochaber. Argyll Archaeology. Digital. pp. 35-36, Table 8.
- <5> SHG28278 Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. ACA 360- ACA 378, ACA 382, FN 203.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 7879 6830 (30m by 30m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM76NE |
| Civil Parish | ARDNAMURCHAN |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (9)
- UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
- SADDLE QUERN (Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
- CORE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
- DEBITAGE (Mesolithic to Neolithic - 8000 BC? to 2401 BC?)
- CORE (Mesolithic to Neolithic - 8000 BC? to 2401 BC?)
- SCRAPER (TOOL) (Mesolithic to Neolithic - 8000 BC? to 2401 BC?)
- BRACELET (Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- VESSEL (Undated)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://www.archaeologyreportsonline.com/reports/2016/ARO20.html (Link to published report online)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/22692 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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