A study of marine exploitation in prehistoric Scotland, with special reference to marine shells and their archaeological contexts

CC Archaeology

Pollard, Antony John ; Morrison, Alex

University:University of Glasgow

Department:School of Humanities

关键词: CC Archaeology;   

Others  :  http://theses.gla.ac.uk/743/1/1994pollardphd.pdf

来源: University of Glasgow

【 摘 要 】

The history of the study of marine exploitation in Scotland is outlined prior to thepresentation of an overview of the evidence for its practice in both earlier and laterprehistory. This overview is based on a corpus of Scottish prehistoric sites known toinclude evidence for marine exploitation. Marine shells are found on a variety ofarchaeological sites, many of which cannot be described as shell middens. They aredefined in this work as sites given over to the primary processing and consumption ofmarine resources, most obviously represented by marine shells. A simple classificatorysystem is introduced in order to allow further discussion of the similarities anddifferences between various types of deposits.The material culture related to marine exploitation is discussed and ethnohistoricalsources are used to demonstrate some of the ways in which similar elements ofmaterial culture have been utilised in more recent times. Issues discussed here includenot only shellfish exploitation but also whaling, fishing and the use of seaweeds. Theutilisation of various kinds of raw materials, of both terrestrial and marine origin, arediscussed and their contextual relationship to marine resource residues considered.Discussion will then move on to focus more closely on a number of aspects relating tomarine exploitation in both early and later prehistory. The 'Obanian' sites in Oban andOronsay are used as a case study to examine the implications of shell middens beingused over long periods of time and as places for burial. The results of survey andexcavation work carried out on the 'Obanian' shell midden on Risga are used tosupplement a discussion on the nature and role of shell middens. Discussion of the laterperiod is centred upon a contextual study of settlement sites and the relationshipbetween marine and terrestrial resources is discussed.This work draws to a close by considering the role of marine resources in prehistoricritual practice. The implications of the deposition of marine shells in chambered tombsand the construction of chambered tombs over shell middens are discussed. In the laterperiod the redeposition of midden material appears to play an important part in thedevelopment of substantial settlement complexes and may represent a change in thenature of ritual behaviour. The concluding chapter isolates what are felt to be the mostimportant issues raised by this work.