Argyll has some of the most important Mesolithic sites in Scotland, and indeed the UK. Yet there is no heritage management of these sites. In one regard the required management is limited: with the exception of middens, Mesolithic sites are predominately buried below ground in areas unlikely to be disturbed or developed. This is not always the case: numerous Mesolithic have been found by ditch digging and other farming activities and remain subject to further risks of this nature; others are in fields that are regularly ploughed or coastal areas subject to erosion, especially with anticipated rise in sea level. Our understanding is that none of the Mesolithic sites have been scheduled to ensure they are protected. Another dimension of heritage management is public engagement. Our experience is that the public have a huge interest in the Mesolithic and would enjoy visiting Mesolithic sites, even if these are only points on the landscape with no visible archaeology. As such a programme of marking sites with suitable display boards, producing walking trails, guide-books and related exhibitions within the local museums should be a priority. This must also apply to the Neolithic. The chambered cairns on Islay, for instance, are largely buried by vegetation, with no markers for visitors or walking trails.
In This Section:
Regional
- Clyde Valley Archaeological Research Framework (CVARF)
- South East Scotland Archaeological Research Framework
- Highland Archaeological Research Framework
- Perth and Kinross Archaeological Research Framework
- Regional Archaeological Research Framework for Argyll
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Background and Aims of the RARFA
- 3. Panel Reports
- 4. Towards an Environmental History of Argyll and Bute: A Review of Current Data, Their Strengths and Weaknesses and Suggestions for Future Work
- 5. The Early Prehistory of Argyll: The archaeological record, research themes and future priorities for the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Earliest Neolithic periods (12000BP - 6000BP) (10,050BC - 4050BC)
- 5.1 Summary
- 5.2 Introduction
- 5.3 Major Research Themes
- 5.4 Key Priorities for Future Research
- 5.4.1 The Late Glacial: excavation at Rubha Port an t-Seilich and its environmental context
- 5.4.2 The appearance of the Neolithic and the demise of the Mesolithic: targeted excavation, dating and environmental reconstruction
- 5.4.3 Establishing the Mesolithic chronology: A programme of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian analysis: testing the 8.2 Ka model and reaching out to the Neolithic
- 5.4.4 Heritage management of early prehistoric sites
- 5.4.5 Writing the history of archaeology in Argyll
- 5.5 Summary
- 5.6 Bibliography
- 6. Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age c 4000BC - 800BC
- 7. The Iron Age
- 8. Early Medieval Argyll and Norse/Viking Argyll (AD 400 - AD 1100)
- 9. The Archaeology of Medieval Argyll (AD 1100 - AD 1600)
- 10. Early Modern Period (AD 1600 - AD 1900) and Modern in Argyll (AD 1900 - Present)
- Regional Archaeological Research Framework for Argyll: Case Studies
- List of Appendices
- South West Scotland Archaeological Research Framework
- Scotland's Islands Research Framework for Archaeology