Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T21:37:38.576Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The ‘Obanian Iron Age’: human remains from the Oban cave sites, Argyll, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Alan Saville
Affiliation:
Artefact Research Unit, Archaeology Department, National Museums of Scotland, Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD, Scotland
Ywonne Hallén
Affiliation:
Artefact Research Unit, Archaeology Department, National Museums of Scotland, Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD, Scotland

Extract

While the caves round Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, are famous for their Mesolithic artefacts, they have also produced Bronze Age finds and numerous burials. Radiocarbon dates on human bones from one cave show these to be Iron Age, suggesting the Obanian assemblages are composites accumulated over millennia.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, J., 1895. Notice of a cave recently discovered at Oban, containing human remains, and a refuse-heap of shells and bones of animals, and stone and bone implements, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 29: 211–30.Google Scholar
Anderson, J., 1898. Notes on the contents of a small cave or rock shelter at Druimvargie, Oban; and of three shell mounds in Oronsay, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 32: 298313.Google Scholar
Barber, J., Halstead, P., James, H. & Lee, F. 1989. An unusual Iron Age burial at Hornish Point, South Uist, Antiquity 63: 773–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bass, W.M. 1987 Human osteology: a laboratory and field manual. 3rd edition. Columbia (MI): Missouri Archaeological SocietySpecial publication 2.Google Scholar
Benton, S., 1931. The excavation of the Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea, Morayshire, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 65: 177216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonsall, C., Robinson, M., Payton, R. & Macklin, M. 1993 Lón Mór in Batey, CE. (ed.), Discovery&excavation in Scotland 1993: Edinburgh: Council for Scottish Archaeology.Google Scholar
Bonsall, C. & Smith, C. 1990. Bone and antler technology in the British Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic: the impact of accelerator dating in Vermeersch, P.M. & Van Peer, P. (ed.), Contributions to the Mesolithic in Europe: papers presented at the Fourth International Symposium ‘The Mesolithic in Europe’, Leuven 1990: 359–68. Leuven: Leuven University PressStudio Praehistorica Belgica 5.Google Scholar
Bonsall, C. & Sutherland, D.G. 1992. The Oban Caves in Walker, M.J., Gray, J.M. & Lowe, J.J. (ed.), The southwest Scottish Highlands: field guide: 115–21. Cambridge: Quaternary Research Association.Google Scholar
Bowman, S. 1990 Radiocarbon dating. London: British Museum Publications.Google Scholar
BraniGan, K. & Dearne, M.J. 1992 Romano–British cavemen: cave–use in Roman Britain Oxford: Oxbow BooksOxbow monograph 19.Google Scholar
Brothwell, D.R. 1981 Digging up bones. 3rd edition. Oxford: British Museum(Natural History).Google Scholar
Campbell, E., 1991. Excavations of a wheelhouse and other Iron Age structures at Solías, North Uist by Atkinson, R.J.C. in 1957, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 121: 117–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, D.L. 1970 Beaker pottery of Great Britain and ire–land. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Close-Brooks, J. 1984 Pictish and other burials in Friell, J.G.P. & Watson, W.G. (ed.), Pictish studies: 87114. Oxford: British Archaeological ReportsBritish series 125.Google Scholar
Connock, K.D. 1985 Pictish and other burials in Friell, J.G.P. & Watson, W.G. Rescue excavation of the ossuary remains at Raschoille Cave, Oban: an interim report: Oban: Lorn Archaeological&Historical Society.Google Scholar
Connock, K.D., Finlayson, B.& Mills, CM. 1992. Excavation of a shell midden site at Carding Mill Bay near Oban, Scotland, Glasgow Archaeological Journal 17: 2538.Google Scholar
Finnegan, M., 1978. Non–metric variation of the infracranial skeleton, Journal of Anatomy 125 (1): 2337.Google ScholarPubMed
Hallén, Y. 1994 Re–evaluation of the human skeletal remains from Mackay Cave, Distillery Cave, and MacArthur Cave, Oban.Unpublished archive report. Archaeology Department, National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Harding, D.W. (ed.). 1982 Later prehistoric settlement in southeast Scotland Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, Department of ArchaeologyOccasional paper 8.Google Scholar
Hedges, R.E.M., Housley, R.A., Bronk Ramsey, C. & Van Klinken, G.J. 1993. Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry datelist 17, Archaeometry 35 (2): 305–26.Google Scholar
Henshall, A.S. 1983 The Neolithic pottery from Easterton of Roseisle, Moray, in O’Connor, A. & Clarke, D.V. (ed.), From the Stone Age to the ‘Forty–Five’: studies presented to R.B.K. Stevenson: 1944. Edinburgh: John Donald.Google Scholar
Hill, P., 1982. Broxmouth Hillfort excavations, 1977–1978: an interim report, in Harding (1982): 141–88.Google Scholar
Hunter, C. 1992 Oban — prehistory Oban: privately printed.Google Scholar
Lacaille, A.D. 1954 The Stone Age in Scotland London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Leitch, R., 1987. Green bottle howffs: a pilot study of inhabited caves, Vernacular Building 11: 1520.Google Scholar
Longworth, LH., Brothwell, D. & Powers, R. 1966. A massive cist with multiple burials of Iron Age date at Lochend, Dunbar, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 98: 17398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mckinley, J.I. & Roberts, C. 1993. Excavation and post–excavation treatment of cremated and inhumed human remains Birmingham: Institute of Field ArchaeologistsTechnical paper 13.Google Scholar
Martin, A. 1984. Kintyre:the hidden past. Edinburgh: John Donald.Google Scholar
Mellars, P. 1987. Excavations on Oronsay: prehistoric human ecology on a small island. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Movius, H.L., 1940. An early post–glacial archaeological site at Cushendun, County Antrim, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 46 (C): 184.Google Scholar
Movius, H.L. 1942. The Irish Stone Age: its chronology, development and relationships. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pearson, G.W. & Stuiver, M. 1993. High–precision bidecadal calibration of the radiocarbon timescale500–2500 BC, Radiocarbon 35 (1): 2533.Google Scholar
Piggott, S., 1948. The excavations at Caimpapple Hill, West Lothian,1947–48, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 82: 68123.Google Scholar
Pollard, A., 1990. Down through the ages: a review of the Obanian cave deposits Scottish Archaeological Review 7: 5874.Google Scholar
RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient&Historical Monuments of Scotland) 1975. TArgyll, an inventory of the ancient monuments: Lorn. Edinburgh: RCAHMS.Google Scholar
RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient&Historical Monuments of Scotland) 1988. Argyll, an inventory of the monuments: Mid Argyll fi– Cowal, prehistoric ir early historic monuments. Edinburgh: RCAHMS.Google Scholar
Ralston, I 1979. The Iron Age: northern Britain in Megaw, J.V.S. & Simpson, D.D.A. (ed.), Introduction to British prehistory: 446501. Leicester: Leicester University Press.Google Scholar
Shepherd, I.A.G. 1983. Pictish settlement problems in Scotland, N.E., in Chapman, J.C. & Mytum, H.C. (ed.), Settlement in north Britain 1000 BC–AD 1000: 327–56. Oxford: British Archaeological ReportsBritish series 118.Google Scholar
Smith, C. & Bonsall, C. 1991. Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic chronology: points of interest from recent research in Barton, N., Roberts, A.J. & Roe, D.A. (ed.), The Late Glacial in north–west Europe: human adaptation and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene: 208–12. London: Council for British ArchaeologyResearch report 77.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. & Pearson, G.W. 1993. High–precision bidecadal calibration of the radiocarbon timescale, AD 1950–500 BC and 2500–6000 BC Radiocarbon 35 (1): 123.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. & Reimer, P.J. 1993. Extended 14C data base and revised CALIB 3.0 14C age calibration program Radiocarbon 35 (1): 215–30.Google Scholar
Triscott, J. 1982. Excavations at Dryburn Bridge, East Lothian, 1978–1979 in Harding (1982): 117–24.Google Scholar
Turner, W. 1895. On human and animal remains found in caves at Oban, Argyllshire, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 29: 410–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Beek, G.C. 1983. Dental morphology: an illustrated guide2nd edition. London: Wright.Google Scholar
Whimster, R. 1981. Burial practices in Iron Age Britain: a discussion and gazetteer of the evidence, c. 700 BC–AD 43.2nd edition. Oxford: British Archaeological ReportsBritish series 90(ii).Google Scholar
Woodman, P.C. 1989. A review of the Scottish Mesolithic: a plea for normality!, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 119: 132.Google Scholar