By the re-evaluation of one specific artefact class - the Scottish examples of tanged points, the intrinsic qualities of this artefacts form, context and is use is employed to establish an enhanced sense of regional variability within early Scottish archaeology. A methodology for tanged point identification is determined and enacted to demonstrate that the existing examples of Scottish tanged points do not represent a single, coherent, tanged point tradition in this region. Variability is evident and can be translated, in terms of human behaviour, to suggest at least three separate antecedents to early activity in Scotland. Of specific focus is a hitherto unrecognized line of activity (or influence) during the Mesolithic - one originating from areas to the north/north-east of Scotland from the modern political construct of Scandinavia. In this spatial context, tanged point use extends into the Mesolithic, unlike counterparts in the northern territories of the European continent where tanged points are primarily discussed as late Palaeolithic, and to which Scottish tanged points have been traditionally compared. This 'northern' scenario thus provides an alternative reading of some examples of this material class in Scotland. The juxtaposition between marine and terrestrial lifestyles is key to this analysis. Acknowledging this in relation to a select sample of Scottish tanged points – those within the island context of Stronsay, a northern isle in the archipelago of Orkney, this specific set of tanged points is argued to comprise a new component within the tool kit of Mesolithic activity within this regionally specific context. The implications of this permits a more pluralised perspective of the nature and extents of early activity in Scotland, and a documents the significance of regional variability to understanding the range of potential influences, and identities, that may have enculturated the landscapes of Scotland during its earliest phases of prehistory.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:715431 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Dempsey, Naomi |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=231801 |
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