Cite this as: Wickham-Jones, C.R. and Dalland, M. 1998 A small mesolithic site at Fife Ness, Fife, Scotland,
Internet Archaeology 5. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.5.1
Summary
Illustration by Mary Kemp-Clarke
In the summer of 1996 work to build a new golf course on the coast at Crail in Fife,
Scotland, uncovered a small patch of dark soil associated with microliths. Excavation
revealed an arc of seven pits or post-holes, a hearth site and several
other pit-like
features. There was a small lithic assemblage, and also a quantity of carbonised hazelnut
shell, samples of which were sent off for radiocarbon assay.
The site was remarkable for several reasons:
Size
Its size (75m2) was unusual in that most
mesolithic sites in Scotland (and elsewhere) are often much larger. Small sites have played
an important role in theoretical interpretations of the mesolithic way of life, but few have
been excavated.
Lithic assemblage
The lithic assemblage was small, even
for such a small site, and comprised solely of flint, which is very
rare in Scotland. There was relatively little knapping debris, but several
retouched tools, over half of which were narrow blade microliths. The
microliths were very interesting because they were dominated by crescentic
microliths, while more common types such as scalene triangles were absent.
Dates
A series of fourteen radiocarbon dates were
obtained for the site and all centred round the same period: between 7400 and 7600
BC, calibrated. This was earlier than had been expected, and is an
interesting
addition to knowledge of the early settlement of eastern Scotland since
most other early dates have been from west coast sites.
The similarity of the dates adds weight to the argument that the
site represents a single occupation which, in view of its size, is likely
to have been of short duration. This, and the nature of the lithic assemblage,
have lead us to the interpretation that the site was a specialised camp site, probably making
use of coastal resources.
