Timeline of prehistoric Scotland

This timeline of prehistoric Scotland is a chronologically ordered list of important archaeological sites in Scotland and of major events affecting Scotland's human inhabitants and culture during the prehistoric period. The period of prehistory prior to occupation by the genus "Homo" is part of the geology of Scotland.

Prehistory in Scotland ends with the arrival of the Romans in southern Scotland in the first century AD and the beginning of written records. [Moffat (2005) "Chapter 7: Caledonia". pp. 225–53. Petilius Cerilais first led the legions into Scotland between AD 71 and 74. Large parts of Scotland were never held by Rome and Moffat states: "The Romans left us nothing of any enduring cultural value. Their presence was brief, intermittent and not influential."] The archaeological sites and events listed are the earliest examples or among the most notable of their type.

No traces have yet been found of either a Neanderthal presence or of "Homo sapiens" during the Pleistocene interglacials. The first indications of humans in Scotland occur only after the ice retreated in the 11th millennium BC and the current Flandrian interglacial began. Since that time the landscape of Scotland has been altered dramatically by both human and natural forces. [Edwards, Kevin J and Ralston, Ian B.M. "Environment and People in Prehistoric and Early Historical Times: Preliminary Considerations" in Edwards & Ralston (2003) p. 1.] Initially, sea levels were lower than at present due to the large volume of ice that remained. This meant that the Orkney archipelago and many of the Inner Hebridean islands were attached to the mainland, as was the present-day island of Great Britain to Continental Europe. Much of the present-day North Sea was also dry land until after 4000 BC. Dogger Bank, for example was part of a large peninsula connected to the European continent. This would have made travel to western and northern Scotland relatively easy for early human settlers. The subsequent isostatic rise of land makes estimating post-glacial coastlines a complex task and there are numerous raised beaches around Scotland's coastline. [ Murray (1973) p. 69.] [Moffat (2005) pp. 46–50.]

Many of the sites are located in the Highlands and Islands. This may be because of the relatively sparse modern populations and consequent lack of disturbance. Much of the area also has a thick covering of peat that preserves stone fragments, although the associated acidic conditions tend to dissolve organic materials. [Peat forms when plant material is inhibited from decaying fully by acidic and anaerobic conditions, often in waterlogged conditions. Much of Scotland's soil cover is either peat, or acidic or both. This results in a lack of finds of bone, jewellery and other household items. See for example Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 25, Moffat (2005) pp. 81, 152 and [http://www.peatsociety.org/index.php?id=32 "What is peat?"] International Peat Society. Retrieved 27 April 2008.] There are also numerous important remains in the Orkney archipelago, where sand and arable land predominate. [Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 25.] Local tradition hints at both a fear and veneration of these ancient structures that may have helped to preserve their integrity. [Moffat (2005) pp. 96–97.]

Differentiating the various periods of human history involved is a complex task. The Paleolithic lasted until the retreat of the ice, the Mesolithic until the adoption of farming and the Neolithic until metalworking commenced. These events may have begun at different times in different parts of the country. A number of the sites span very long periods of time and in particular the distinctions between the Neolithic and the later periods are not clear cut. [Moffat (2005) p. 147.]

Timeline

Key to predominant "Type":

Bronze and Iron Ages

From the commencement of the Bronze Age to about 2000 BC the archaeological record shows a decline in the number of large new stone buildings constructed. Pollen analyses suggest that at this time woodland increased at the expense of the area under cultivation. In Orkney, burials were now being made in small cists well away from the great megalithic sites and a new Beaker culture began to dominate. Bronze and Iron Age metalworking was slowly introduced to Scotland from Europe over a lengthy period. (By contrast, the Neolithic monumental culture spread south from northern Scotland into England.) As the Bronze Age developed, Scotland's population grew to perhaps 300,000 in the second millennium BC. [Moffat (2005) pp. 154, 158, 161.] [Whittington, Graeme and Edwards, Kevin J. (1994) [http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_124/124_055_065.pdf "Palynology as a predictive tool in archeaology"] (pdf) "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland". 124 pp. 55–65.] There is agreement amongst historians that from about 1000 BC it is legitimate to talk of a Celtic culture in Scotland, [Moffat (2005) p. 183.] although the nature of the resident Pictish civilisation and their immediate predecessors remains enigmatic. There were evidently significant differences between the lifestyles of Bronze Age peoples inhabiting Scotland. For example, finds at the Traprain Law site (near modern Edinburgh) suggest that the priests there may have overseen ceremonies on a par with their contemporaries on mainland Europe. On the other hand, although the mummifications found at Cladh Hallan in the Western Isles invite comparisons with Egypt, the simple lifestyle of the inhabitants of this settlement contrasts with that of Tutankamun - even if the former's lives may have been preferable to those of the toiling slaves who built Amarna at this time.

ites of uncertain date

Various sites of importance are as yet undated and difficult to place in the timeline. Others contain items from many different periods whose story has not yet been unraveled or items where the time period and location cannot be easily reconciled. The last two items on the list may date from the Dark Ages some four centuries or more after the appearance of the Romans and the commencement of the historic era.

ee also

* Prehistoric Scotland
* World Heritage Sites in Scotland
* Scotland during the Roman Empire
* Prehistoric Orkney

References and footnotes

;General references
* Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) "Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC - AD 1000". Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press.
* Fleming, Andrew (2005) "St. Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island". Windgather Press ISBN 1905119003
* Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) "Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland". London. HarperCollins.
* Kirk, William "Prehistoric Scotland: The Regional Dimension" in Clapperton, Chalmers M. (ed.) (1983) "Scotland: A New Study". Newton Abbott. David & Charles.
* Moffat, Alistair (2005) "Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History". London. Thames & Hudson.
* Murray, W.H. (1973) "The Islands of Western Scotland." London. Eyre Methuen.
* Rixson, Dennis (2001) "The Small Isles: Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck". Edinburgh. Birlinn.
* Wickham-Jones, Caroline (2007) "Orkney: A Historical Guide". Edinburgh. Birlinn.;Specific references and notes

External links

* [http://www.archaeolink.co.uk/ Archaeolink Prehistory Park in Aberdeenshire]
* [http://shetlopedia.com/Jarlshof Shetlopedia: Jarlshof]