3.6 Religion and Ritual: Multiperiod Factors

Cremation also requires fuel, though for most early excavations this information is lost. There is scope to see if different periods or regions preferentially chose certain species of wood. At Ness Gap on the Black Isle almost all cremation burials used oak, suggesting that it was preferred, because there was evidence of use of other wood at the site (Woodley et al 2020, 30). Only detailed investigations will be able to tease out these details in other areas.

Certain areas in the landscape were clearly chosen as special. The reasons behind placement of churches and chapels are often not recorded, but more work could be done on this topic as has been undertaken elsewhere. Much has been written about the world view of Gaels in the post-medieval period, particularly as it relates to religion and ritual (see Black 2005; MacInnes, 2006a; 2006b; Newton 2006; 2009). Some prehistoric ritual sites needed to be situated near natural features, such as marshy areas where deposition of objects occurred, for example at Ballachulish (MHG4306; Case Study Ballachulish Figure) or Dail na Caraidh (MHG4183; Case Study Dail na Caraidh Hoard). Caves were clearly the focus of ritual activities (Armit and Büster 2020, 247ff), including High Pasture Cave on Skye (MHG32043; Case Study High Pasture Cave) and Rosemarkie Caves (Case Study Rosemarkie Caves Project) on the Black Isle. Other deposits might have been placed near topographic features, such as the bronze axes placed near boulders near Aviemore (Cowie 2004). Some sites had a long, multiperiod focus such as holy wells which occur throughout the Highlands, though little dating has been undertaken at these sites (Map 3.1; Datasheet 3.1).