In 2006, a planning application was submitted by Barratt Homes Bristol for residential developmen... more In 2006, a planning application was submitted by Barratt Homes Bristol for residential development on 2.5 ha of open ground off Marissal Road in Henbury (Fig. 1), formerly occupied by the premises and facilities of Henbury Comprehensive School, rebuilt in 2004/5 to the immediate southeast. Documentary sources indicate a Roman road may have crossed the area (Burchill 2001, Smith 2002) and significant archaeology of late prehistoric and Roman date was located during investigations preceding the construction of the new school (Cotswold Archaeology 2003, Evans et al 2006). A metalled road surface was located at shallow depth in two of the nine trial trenches opened on the former school site during an initial field evaluation undertaken in Oct. 2006 (Payne 2006). The alignment of the metalled surface coincided with the proposed route of Margary’s (1973) Roman road 541 suggested to link the military garrison and settlement at Abonae (Sea Mills) and the fortress at Glevum (Gloucester). Thi...
Results of extensive site reconnaissance on the Isles of Tiree, Coll and north-west Mull, Inner H... more Results of extensive site reconnaissance on the Isles of Tiree, Coll and north-west Mull, Inner Hebrides are presented. Pollen-stratigraphic records were compiled from a profile from Glen Aros, north-west Mull and from two profiles on Coll located at Loch an t-Sagairt and Caolas an Eilean. Quantification of microscopic charcoal provided records that were used to facilitate a preliminary evaluation of the causal driving mechanisms of vegetation change. Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates was used to construct preliminary chronological frameworks for these records. Basal sedimentary deposits at Glen Aros contain pollen records that correspond with vegetation succession typical of the early Holocene dating to c. 11,370 cal BP. Woodland development is a key feature of the pollen records dating to the early Holocene, while records from Loch an t-Sagairt show that blanket mire communities were widespread in north-west Coll by c. 9800 cal BP. The Corylus-rise is dated to c. 10,710 cal ...
Activity within caves provides an important element of the later prehistoric and historic settlem... more Activity within caves provides an important element of the later prehistoric and historic settlement pattern of western Scotland. This contribution reports on a small-scale excavation within Croig Cave, on the coast of north-west Mull, that exposed a 1.95m sequence of middle deposits and cave floors that dated between c1700 BC and AD 1400. Midden analysis indicated the processing of a diverse range of small fish and the collection of shellfish throughout this period, showing a high degree of continuity involving low-risk, inshore fishing. At c950 BC, a penannular copper bracelet and an amber bead were deposited within a small, shallow pit within the cave floor, suggestive of a discrete ritual episode within the cycle of otherwise potentially mundane activities. Lead isotope analysis indicates an Irish origin for the copper ore. A piece of iron slag within later midden deposits, dated to c400 BC, along with high frequencies of wood charcoal, suggest that smithing or smelting may have...
The Mesolithic period provides archaeologists with an opportunity to explore long-term processes ... more The Mesolithic period provides archaeologists with an opportunity to explore long-term processes of social and economic change, while also reconstructing the short-term activities of hunter-gatherers as they respond to their social and cultural environments. We address both time frames within this review of Mesolithic coastal exploitation in western Scotland. By collating 163 radiocarbon dates from 33 Mesolithic sites and analyzing these for activity events, we are able to monitor the variation in the intensity of activity between the Pleistocene/Holocene transition at c. 11 650 cal BP and the appearance of the Neolithic at c. 5800 cal BP. We attribute the majority of the variation to changes in population density arising from the impact of climate change. We then select a number of Mesolithic sites which had been especially favoured locations and explore the nature of the activities that were undertaken, and how these contributed to an overall pattern of coastal exploitation. To be...
Abstract Isolating the impacts of abrupt climatic events on Holocene hunter-gatherers from those ... more Abstract Isolating the impacts of abrupt climatic events on Holocene hunter-gatherers from those of gradual environmental change is methodologically challenging and conflicts with the lived experience of Mesolithic communities for whom the world was in continuous flux. We explore the combined impacts of abrupt climate events (ACEs) and gradual sea level change on the Mesolithic communities of northern Britain by using a summed calibrated probability distribution (SCPD) of radiocarbon dates as a population proxy, addressing sources of potential bias, including the history of research, differential site destruction, calibration effects and changes in settlement pattern. Our study is placed into a European context by reviewing studies that have reached contrasting conclusions about the impacts of ACEs on Holocene hunter-gatherer communities. We suggest such differences arise from variation in their specific ecological settings, cultural repertoires, and social environments, concluding that Holocene hunter-gatherers in northern Britain were especially vulnerable to environmental change.
We describe a tanged point and a blade technology from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, Sc... more We describe a tanged point and a blade technology from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, Scotland that provides further support to a Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene presence in Scotland prior to the establishment of the narrow blade Mesolithic industry. The existing evidence for a Late Pleistocene or early Holocene presence comes from isolated finds of tanged points (Tiree, Shieldig, Brodgar), undated assemblages from disturbed contexts that are most likely Late Pleistocene in date (Howburn, Kilmefort Cave), and undated assemblages containing broad blade microliths (e.g., Glenbatrick, Morton). This article provides a summary of recent excavations and the stratigraphy at Rubha Port an t-Seilich, and a detailed analysis the lithic blade blank production at the site, which is, we believe, the first application of a chaîne opératoire based approach to a Scottish assemblage. The study includes comparisons with contemporary assemblages from north-western Europe. The significance ...
ABSTRACT The potential impact of the abrupt 8.2 ka cold event on human demography, settlement pat... more ABSTRACT The potential impact of the abrupt 8.2 ka cold event on human demography, settlement patterns and culture in Europe and the Near East has emerged as a key theme in current discussion and debate. We test whether this event had an impact on the Mesolithic population of western Scotland, a case study located within the North Atlantic region where the environmental impact of the 8.2 ka event is likely to have been the most severe. By undertaking a Bayesian analysis of the radiocarbon record and using the number of activity events as a proxy for the size of the human population, we find evidence for a dramatic reduction in the Mesolithic population synchronous with the 8.2 ka event. We interpret this as reflecting the demographic collapse of a low density population that lacked the capability to adapt to the rapid onset of new environmental conditions. This impact of the 8.2 ka event in the North Atlantic region lends credence to the possibility of a similar impact on populations in Continental Europe and the Near East.
The exact pattern, process and timing of the human re-colonization of northern Europe after the e... more The exact pattern, process and timing of the human re-colonization of northern Europe after the end of the last Ice Age remain controversial. Recent research has provided increasingly early dates for at least pioneer explorations of latitudes above 54˚N in many regions, yet the far north-west of the European landmass, Scotland, has remained an unexplained exception to this pattern. Although the recently described Hamburgian artefacts from Howburn and an assemblage belonging to the arch-backed point complex from Kilmelfort Cave have established at least a sporadic human presence during earlier stages of the Lateglacial Interstadial, we currently lack evidence for Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 (GS-1) activity other than rare stray finds that have been claimed to be of Ahrensburgian affiliation but are difficult to interpret in isolation. We here report the discovery of chipped stone artefacts with technological and typological characteristics similar to those of the continental Ahrensburgian at a locality in western Scotland. A preliminary analysis of associated tephra, pollen and phytoliths, along with microstratigraphic analysis, suggest the artefacts represent one or more episodes of human activity that fall within the second half of GS-1 and the Preboreal period.
In 2006, a planning application was submitted by Barratt Homes Bristol for residential developmen... more In 2006, a planning application was submitted by Barratt Homes Bristol for residential development on 2.5 ha of open ground off Marissal Road in Henbury (Fig. 1), formerly occupied by the premises and facilities of Henbury Comprehensive School, rebuilt in 2004/5 to the immediate southeast. Documentary sources indicate a Roman road may have crossed the area (Burchill 2001, Smith 2002) and significant archaeology of late prehistoric and Roman date was located during investigations preceding the construction of the new school (Cotswold Archaeology 2003, Evans et al 2006). A metalled road surface was located at shallow depth in two of the nine trial trenches opened on the former school site during an initial field evaluation undertaken in Oct. 2006 (Payne 2006). The alignment of the metalled surface coincided with the proposed route of Margary’s (1973) Roman road 541 suggested to link the military garrison and settlement at Abonae (Sea Mills) and the fortress at Glevum (Gloucester). Thi...
Results of extensive site reconnaissance on the Isles of Tiree, Coll and north-west Mull, Inner H... more Results of extensive site reconnaissance on the Isles of Tiree, Coll and north-west Mull, Inner Hebrides are presented. Pollen-stratigraphic records were compiled from a profile from Glen Aros, north-west Mull and from two profiles on Coll located at Loch an t-Sagairt and Caolas an Eilean. Quantification of microscopic charcoal provided records that were used to facilitate a preliminary evaluation of the causal driving mechanisms of vegetation change. Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates was used to construct preliminary chronological frameworks for these records. Basal sedimentary deposits at Glen Aros contain pollen records that correspond with vegetation succession typical of the early Holocene dating to c. 11,370 cal BP. Woodland development is a key feature of the pollen records dating to the early Holocene, while records from Loch an t-Sagairt show that blanket mire communities were widespread in north-west Coll by c. 9800 cal BP. The Corylus-rise is dated to c. 10,710 cal ...
Activity within caves provides an important element of the later prehistoric and historic settlem... more Activity within caves provides an important element of the later prehistoric and historic settlement pattern of western Scotland. This contribution reports on a small-scale excavation within Croig Cave, on the coast of north-west Mull, that exposed a 1.95m sequence of middle deposits and cave floors that dated between c1700 BC and AD 1400. Midden analysis indicated the processing of a diverse range of small fish and the collection of shellfish throughout this period, showing a high degree of continuity involving low-risk, inshore fishing. At c950 BC, a penannular copper bracelet and an amber bead were deposited within a small, shallow pit within the cave floor, suggestive of a discrete ritual episode within the cycle of otherwise potentially mundane activities. Lead isotope analysis indicates an Irish origin for the copper ore. A piece of iron slag within later midden deposits, dated to c400 BC, along with high frequencies of wood charcoal, suggest that smithing or smelting may have...
The Mesolithic period provides archaeologists with an opportunity to explore long-term processes ... more The Mesolithic period provides archaeologists with an opportunity to explore long-term processes of social and economic change, while also reconstructing the short-term activities of hunter-gatherers as they respond to their social and cultural environments. We address both time frames within this review of Mesolithic coastal exploitation in western Scotland. By collating 163 radiocarbon dates from 33 Mesolithic sites and analyzing these for activity events, we are able to monitor the variation in the intensity of activity between the Pleistocene/Holocene transition at c. 11 650 cal BP and the appearance of the Neolithic at c. 5800 cal BP. We attribute the majority of the variation to changes in population density arising from the impact of climate change. We then select a number of Mesolithic sites which had been especially favoured locations and explore the nature of the activities that were undertaken, and how these contributed to an overall pattern of coastal exploitation. To be...
Abstract Isolating the impacts of abrupt climatic events on Holocene hunter-gatherers from those ... more Abstract Isolating the impacts of abrupt climatic events on Holocene hunter-gatherers from those of gradual environmental change is methodologically challenging and conflicts with the lived experience of Mesolithic communities for whom the world was in continuous flux. We explore the combined impacts of abrupt climate events (ACEs) and gradual sea level change on the Mesolithic communities of northern Britain by using a summed calibrated probability distribution (SCPD) of radiocarbon dates as a population proxy, addressing sources of potential bias, including the history of research, differential site destruction, calibration effects and changes in settlement pattern. Our study is placed into a European context by reviewing studies that have reached contrasting conclusions about the impacts of ACEs on Holocene hunter-gatherer communities. We suggest such differences arise from variation in their specific ecological settings, cultural repertoires, and social environments, concluding that Holocene hunter-gatherers in northern Britain were especially vulnerable to environmental change.
We describe a tanged point and a blade technology from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, Sc... more We describe a tanged point and a blade technology from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, Scotland that provides further support to a Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene presence in Scotland prior to the establishment of the narrow blade Mesolithic industry. The existing evidence for a Late Pleistocene or early Holocene presence comes from isolated finds of tanged points (Tiree, Shieldig, Brodgar), undated assemblages from disturbed contexts that are most likely Late Pleistocene in date (Howburn, Kilmefort Cave), and undated assemblages containing broad blade microliths (e.g., Glenbatrick, Morton). This article provides a summary of recent excavations and the stratigraphy at Rubha Port an t-Seilich, and a detailed analysis the lithic blade blank production at the site, which is, we believe, the first application of a chaîne opératoire based approach to a Scottish assemblage. The study includes comparisons with contemporary assemblages from north-western Europe. The significance ...
ABSTRACT The potential impact of the abrupt 8.2 ka cold event on human demography, settlement pat... more ABSTRACT The potential impact of the abrupt 8.2 ka cold event on human demography, settlement patterns and culture in Europe and the Near East has emerged as a key theme in current discussion and debate. We test whether this event had an impact on the Mesolithic population of western Scotland, a case study located within the North Atlantic region where the environmental impact of the 8.2 ka event is likely to have been the most severe. By undertaking a Bayesian analysis of the radiocarbon record and using the number of activity events as a proxy for the size of the human population, we find evidence for a dramatic reduction in the Mesolithic population synchronous with the 8.2 ka event. We interpret this as reflecting the demographic collapse of a low density population that lacked the capability to adapt to the rapid onset of new environmental conditions. This impact of the 8.2 ka event in the North Atlantic region lends credence to the possibility of a similar impact on populations in Continental Europe and the Near East.
The exact pattern, process and timing of the human re-colonization of northern Europe after the e... more The exact pattern, process and timing of the human re-colonization of northern Europe after the end of the last Ice Age remain controversial. Recent research has provided increasingly early dates for at least pioneer explorations of latitudes above 54˚N in many regions, yet the far north-west of the European landmass, Scotland, has remained an unexplained exception to this pattern. Although the recently described Hamburgian artefacts from Howburn and an assemblage belonging to the arch-backed point complex from Kilmelfort Cave have established at least a sporadic human presence during earlier stages of the Lateglacial Interstadial, we currently lack evidence for Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 (GS-1) activity other than rare stray finds that have been claimed to be of Ahrensburgian affiliation but are difficult to interpret in isolation. We here report the discovery of chipped stone artefacts with technological and typological characteristics similar to those of the continental Ahrensburgian at a locality in western Scotland. A preliminary analysis of associated tephra, pollen and phytoliths, along with microstratigraphic analysis, suggest the artefacts represent one or more episodes of human activity that fall within the second half of GS-1 and the Preboreal period.
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Papers by Karen Wicks
the last Ice Age remain controversial. Recent research has provided increasingly early dates for at least pioneer
explorations of latitudes above 54˚N in many regions, yet the far north-west of the European landmass, Scotland, has
remained an unexplained exception to this pattern. Although the recently described Hamburgian artefacts from
Howburn and an assemblage belonging to the arch-backed point complex from Kilmelfort Cave have established at
least a sporadic human presence during earlier stages of the Lateglacial Interstadial, we currently lack evidence for
Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 (GS-1) activity other than rare stray finds that have been claimed to be of
Ahrensburgian affiliation but are difficult to interpret in isolation. We here report the discovery of chipped stone
artefacts with technological and typological characteristics similar to those of the continental Ahrensburgian at a locality
in western Scotland. A preliminary analysis of associated tephra, pollen and phytoliths, along with microstratigraphic
analysis, suggest the artefacts represent one or more episodes of human activity that fall within the second half of GS-1
and the Preboreal period.
the last Ice Age remain controversial. Recent research has provided increasingly early dates for at least pioneer
explorations of latitudes above 54˚N in many regions, yet the far north-west of the European landmass, Scotland, has
remained an unexplained exception to this pattern. Although the recently described Hamburgian artefacts from
Howburn and an assemblage belonging to the arch-backed point complex from Kilmelfort Cave have established at
least a sporadic human presence during earlier stages of the Lateglacial Interstadial, we currently lack evidence for
Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 (GS-1) activity other than rare stray finds that have been claimed to be of
Ahrensburgian affiliation but are difficult to interpret in isolation. We here report the discovery of chipped stone
artefacts with technological and typological characteristics similar to those of the continental Ahrensburgian at a locality
in western Scotland. A preliminary analysis of associated tephra, pollen and phytoliths, along with microstratigraphic
analysis, suggest the artefacts represent one or more episodes of human activity that fall within the second half of GS-1
and the Preboreal period.