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STV News
28-04-2025
- Science
- STV News
Tools from earliest human populations discovered at ancient Scottish settlement
Tools used by the earliest human populations have been found at an ancient Scottish settlement in the Isle of Skye. A team of archaeologists and scientists led by Karen Hardy, professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, discovered stone tools from the Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) period, around 11,500 years ago. This discovery means the west coast now represents the largest concentration of evidence for these pioneer human populations anywhere in Scotland and reveals how early humans of this period ventured much further north than previously believed. The wider context of these finds has been analysed in detail, with respect to highly detailed maps of local glacier formation and an enigmatic group of stone circular structures which appears to lie below modern sea level. Jamie Booth Sconser, circular alignment. Professor Karen Hardy, who discovered the sites alongside local archaeologist, Martin Wildgoose, said: 'This is a hugely significant discovery which offers a new perspective on the earliest human occupation yet known, of north-west Scotland.' The Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) period came immediately after the Younger Dryas (also known as the Loch Lomond Stadial) when much of west Scotland was buried under ice. The team from the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, Leeds Beckett and Flinders in Australia, determined that groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers most likely of the Ahrensburgian culture from northern Europe, crossed Doggerland, an area that is now covered by the North Sea, and established themselves on Skye. Once they reached Skye, these early people crafted tools from stone found locally. Karen Hardy Professor Karen Hardy. Professor Hardy added that the journey made by this population of 'pioneering people' is the ultimate adventure story. 'As they journeyed northwards, most likely following animal herds, they eventually reached Scotland, where the western landscape was dramatically changing as glaciers melted and the land rebounded as it recovered from the weight of the ice,' she said. 'A good example of the volatility they would have encountered can be found in Glen Roy, where the world-famous Parallel Roads provide physical testament to the huge landscape changes and cataclysmic floods that they would have encountered, as they travelled across Scotland.' Professor Hardy believes the settlers deliberately and strategically chose where to base themselves as they selected a location that had good access to coastal and riverine resources, as well as natural materials like ochre that was highly valued by ancient cultures. Although the sites themselves cannot be visited, the landscape these early pioneers encountered can be imagined at Sconser. Around 11,000 years ago, after the last of the Cuillin Mountain glaciers had melted, the sea level would still be lower than today, and it would have been possible to walk to Raasay. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
28-04-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
Evidence of one of Scotland's earliest human populations uncovered
The stones have been dated to a period known as the Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) from around 11,500 to 11,000 years ago. The wider context of them is yet to be analysed in detail, but were found in sites discovered by Karen Hardy, professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the university and local archaeologist Martin Wildgoose. Their discovery means the west coast now represents the largest concentration of evidence for these early human populations anywhere in Scotland and show how they ventured much further north than previously believed. The discoveries have been announced in a paper entitled 'At the far end of everything: A likely Ahrensburgian presence in the far north of the Isle of Skye, Scotland'. Professor Karen Hardy said: 'This is a hugely significant discovery which offers a new perspective on the earliest human occupation yet known, of north-west Scotland.' The team included people from the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, Leeds Beckett and Flinders in Australia and they worked together to reconstruct the local landscape and changing sea levels. The period is immediately after the Younger Dryas, also known as the Loch Lomond Stadial, when much of the west of Scotland was buried under ice. Groups of nomadic hunter-gathers who were most likely of the Ahrensburgian culture and from Northern Europe, crossed an area now covered by the North Sea known as Doggerland and established themselves on Skye. Professor Hardy added: 'The journey made by these pioneering people who left their lowland territories in mainland Europe to travel northwards into the unknown, is the ultimate adventure story. 'As they journeyed northwards, most likely following animal herds, they eventually reached Scotland, where the western landscape was dramatically changing as glaciers melted and the land rebounded as it recovered from the weight of the ice. 'A good example of the volatility they would have encountered can be found in Glen Roy, where the world-famous Parallel Roads provide physical testament to the huge landscape changes and cataclysmic floods that they would have encountered, as they travelled across Scotland.' Read More When they reached Skye, it is believed they crafted tools from stone found locally and deliberately and strategically chose where to base themselves to have good access to coastal and riverine resources as well as natural materials like Ochre which was highly valued. The paper concludes by saying: 'While the number of Ahrensburgian findspots is low, they are spread widely across Scotland, including from the islands of Tiree, Orkney and Islay, that also imply significant sea journeys, suggesting a larger population than the number of finds might imply. 'To date, all Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) sites in Scotland have been discovered by chance, and there is insufficient evidence to address further questions regarding their adaptations and lifestyles. 'By reconstructing the geographical limitations imposed by ice sheet evolution, changes in Relative Sea Level (RSL) and river courses, it may be possible to focus on other likely locations – both onshore and offshore – and begin to uncover more evidence.' The paper adds: 'Recovering evidence for a LUP presence in Scotland presents challenges unmatched in continental Europe. However, despite being distant from its central area, the evidence from Skye reflects an Ahrensburgian presence at the extreme north- west continental limit, extending their distribution. 'The people who made these artefacts originated in the mainland of northwest Europe, crossed Doggerland into what is now Britain, and eventually reached the far north of the Isle of Skye. Here, they adapted to live in a fragmented, fluctuating, and volatile environment amid melting glaciers, mountains, and oceans – vastly different from the low-lying environments of their homelands on the northwestern edge of the Great European Plain.'
