Faunal evidence for prehistoric economy and settlement in the Outer Hebrides to c. 400 A.D.

Abstract

The aim of the research was to examine the evidence for prehistoric settlement and economy in the Outer Hebrides as revealed primarily through study of the animal bones recovered from excavations in the area. To this end identification and analysis were carried out on faunal material from several important sites in the area, dating from the Neolithic through to the immediately post-wheelhouse Iron Age phases, and the results were compared and contrasted.

The main body of the text divides into three sections, after a general Introduction. Section I provides a background to the study and outlines the current state of knowledge regarding the settlement prehistory of the area, noting an imbalance in distribution of site type and period. The physical characteristics of the islands are described briefly, to indicate the environmental conditions under which settlement took place. In the final portion of section I consideration is given to the methods and techniques of faunal analysis applied to the material under study, and the relative merits or demerits of each in relation to small-scale prehistoric assemblages are outlined.

In Section II the economies of the sites studied are considered individually and a general picture of each is given. In the first part of Section III the species represented throughout the sites, both domesticated stock and wild resources, are considered, in order to give some idea of the characteristics, availability and potential value of each species represented in the archaeological record. The fauna show little change in type or character of species throughout, with stock introduced after domestication and with wild species similar to those available today. The results of the individual site studies are then collated into a discussion of the general trends of agriculture and animal husbandry in the prehistoric period in the Outer Hebrides, as far as can be discerned from the information currently available. Pertinent evidence of a non-faunal nature is included in the discussion where appropriate, to broaden the scope of the study to a full assessment of economic practice. Based on all the available information a picture emerges of stable human groups, slowly evolving a system of mixed farming and settlement in response to their environment.

The main body of the text closes with a Prospect where suggestions for future research, both in the field and the laboratory, are given, prompted by the problems and imbalances noted in this study.

Identification, measurements and bone abnormalities of the faunal material studied are included in Appendix form at the end of the work.