MHG5589 - Bloodstone Source/Quarry - Bloodstone Hill, Rhum
Summary
Bloodstone source.
Type and Period (1)
- QUARRY (Mesolithic to 19th Century - 8000 BC to 1900 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A rock feature on cliff face with ENE aspect and altitude of 250-340m OD.
Info from SMR card.
Although the primary outcrop of bloodstone occurs on the precipitous N slopes of Creag nam Stairdean (Bloodstone Hill), fragments of bloodstones form a significant fraction of the beach pebbles in Guirdil Bay. Secondary deposits, such as this, may have been the principal source of supply for prehistoric man. The main outcrop was quarried commercially for a short period in the nineteenth century. May 1983.
Soc Ant Scot:1983: Arch Sites & Mons of Rhum:RCAHMS:pp8:no 9.
NG30SW 3 315 007
(NG 315 007) Deposits of Bloodstone on the upper part of Bloodstone Hill (formerly Creag nan Stairdean) appear to have been worked from at least the late Mesolithic (c.3000 BC) to the Beaker period (early 2nd millenium BC). Petrological evidence for this comes from the Ardnamurchan Mesolithic industries and from occupation of the cave at Rudh' an Dunain, Skye (NG 31 NE 5). Since waste material was found on these sites the implication is that it was removed from Rhum in rough form to be worked locally.
The principal deposit is a solid band c.9" thick not far from the summit on the north face. It is not visible but pieces of bloodstone can be procured at the deposit level and the screes below it. It was once worked as an ornamental stone and an old quarry is shown on the 6" map.
P R Ritchie 1968
The quarry shown on OS 6" is now not evident on the ground. Otherwise as described by Ritchie.
Visited by OS (AA) 15 May 1972.
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG1708 Text/Publication/Article: Wickham-Jones, C R. 1987. 'The procurement and use of stone for flaked tools in prehistoric Scotland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 116 1986, p.1-10. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 1-10. 3, 6, 7.
- --- SHG1729 Text/Publication/Article: Wickham-Jones, C R. 1988. 'The use of bloodstone on the island of Rhum, Scotland, and beyond', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 117 1987, p.365-6. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 365-6. 365-6.
- --- SHG2674 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1983. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Rhum, Lochaber District, Highland Region. . 8, No.9.
- --- SHG3165 Text/Publication/Article: Ritchie, P R. 1968. The stone implement trade in third-millennium Scotland. SHG23464. 117-36. 119-21.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 3149 0070 (30m by 30m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG30SW |
| Civil Parish | SMALL ISLES |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (1)
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age - 8000 BC? to 551 BC?)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/11014 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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