Alexander (2015) calls for the re-examination of well-known sites and artefact collections. Restudy of previously investigated sites has been done Old Kirkpatrick (7828) and Erskine (7863) Crannogs and strengthens Alexander’s argument as new technology in 3D modelling has improved the understanding of these structures. A systematic approach to reevaluating known sites which have been previously investigated and antiquity or before modern methods of excavation. This action could correlate with sites at risk from climate change as outlined by SCAPE and the Environmental Chapter of this Baseline.
The recent evaluation of Clydes of the Crannog (Hanson et al 2022) has highlighted a need to evaluate the relationship between people and water through the Iron Age. The estuarian Clyde is a continually changing landscape the ebb and flow of the water would change how people experience and interact with the site, river and food sources. The settlement at Hyndford Quarry (O’Connell 2022) also highlights a relationship between changeable watery landscapes as bogs which change seasonally.
It has been discussed throughout this chapter that there is an underrepresentation of Iron Age sites throughout the Clyde Valley with research focused on impressive hillforts. To address the balance of sites with the historic environment record, Alexander (2015) suggests an approach to future survey and excavation which should focus on small scale groupings of settlement. Echoing previous large scale landscape survey done by the Royal Commission of Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) to target groupings in a large area. This larger scale approach would still greatly benefit the identification of new sites. With the addition of LiDAR aerial survey can now identify more discrete features in the landscape that will find more small settlements like roundhouses, which has been seen in other areas of Scotland.
The use of shale and cannel coal is important throughout the Iron Age as objects or evidence of working is often found in Iron Age sites (Murtagh 2014, 388). The sourcing and use of the material has not been The fully for the region. As shale or cannel coal artefacts and working sites were recovered from Black Hill, Nairn Street, and Midlock Valley an understanding of where the raw material was extracted would provide insight into land use, trade and purpose of the material.
The economy of the Iron Age is not easily defined, homesteads and farming sites are not easily defined in an Iron Age setting and have limited survival due to subsequent land use. However, the new site at Midlock Valley is a possible homestead. We largely understand farming practices through ecofacts such as seeds and grains which are found within our in the immediate vicinity of settlements, or animal bones of domesticated animals. The survival of ecofacts is highly dependent on the deposited environment such as waterlogging or in hearth deposits where they survive as carbonised.
This chapter has not discussed the complexity of society in relation to Roman occupation only because the new sites discussed through this chapter have not shed any light on interactions or relationships between Romans and native communities. There was a high presence of Roman activity within the Clyde Valley due to the Antonine Wall but the relationship between Roman and indigenous populations is not easily addressed. We must first address the issue of how we can understand relationships archaeologically without slipping into an archaic view of colonisation of the area.