Find Spot record MAB49345 - CRATHES MAINS

Flint scatter first noted by Dr Grieve's in the 1970s (Grieve Site A) from which over 900 worked flints were found as a surface collection after ploughing and heavy rain.

Flint scatter first noted by Dr Grieve's in the 1970s (Grieve Site A) from which over 900 worked flints were found as a surface collection after ploughing and heavy rain. analysis of the finds in 2019 has identified debitage (flakes, blades, microblades), cores, and tools including bladelets, microliths, microburins and scrapers. The low microlith ratio suggests a relatively low Mesolithic component. Further fieldwalking has been carried out over this river terrace site, and extending eastwards and westwards by OFARS 2008-12 (see also NO79NE0099). Fieldwalking in 2008 recovered over 3000 worked flints have been collected, largely Mesolithic in date of the 'Narrow Blade' (later) technology, with all phases of work from preparation of raw material to finished tools represented, The assemblage includes diagnostic microburins and microliths, cores and a variety of scrapers. It also included material of Neolithic date, including a polished Neolithic knife/axehead, a broken leaf-shaped arrowhead and a small sherd of Neolithic pottery. Further fieldwalking was carried out by OFARS in January-February 2012 as a continuation of the 2008 survey. A total of circa 500 flints were recovered, the assemblage similar to that recorded previously with cores (mainly single platform), scrapers and material representing all stages of preparation but no diagnostic late Mesolithic microliths. Three wide based triangles were picked up confirming an Early Mesolithic occupation. The lithics appear to be part of a single concentration which extends eastwards (NO79NE0099). Geophysical, topographical and aerial survey was carried out in 2017 to provide background information about the site. Further fieldwalking was carried out by the Mesolithic Deeside Project in March 2022. Over 500 worked lithics were found, including 32 cores, 25 retouched tools (including microliths, microburins and scrapers), 57 blades, over 300 flakes, as well as 61 pieces of burnt flint, numerous clay pipes, a metal object and a midden. Lithics in the Daly Collection, collected in the 1980s and 1990s, were assessed in 2024 as part of the Mesolithic Deeside Project and 30 lithics identified from this site,

KENNEY, J, 1993, THE BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE IN GREAT BRITAIN: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT (Bibliographic reference). SAB2784.

GRIEVE, DR. J.R., 2005, THE MESOLITHIC OCCUPATION SITES OF DEESIDE IN KINCARDINESHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB2609.

SABNIS, D, 2008, Preliminary Report on Flint Scatter across Mesolit, Prelim Report (Bibliographic reference). SAB4769.

Flint Scatter

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2009, DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOL 9, 2008, P.16-17 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3496.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2013, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 13, 2012, pp.14-15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5487.

TIPPING, R, 2017, NETHERMILLS OF CRATHES: FIELDWORK 15-16 MARCH 2017 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3409.

BATES, R, 2017, TOPOGRAPHIC AND ELECTROMAGNETIC GROUND CONDUCTIVITY SURVEY, CRATHES, Draft (Bibliographic reference). SAB3828.

TIPPING, R, 2018, MESOLITHIC DEESIDE: TERRACE STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTS BETWEEN CRATHES AND DRUMOAK (Bibliographic reference). SAB1998.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2019, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 19, 2018, p.11 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6524.

BJARKE BALLIN, T, 2019, THE GRIEVE COLLECTION: CHARACTERISATION AND DISCUSSION OF LITHIC ASSEMBLAGES ON THE DEE, ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3805.

WICKHAM-JONES, C, 2020, NETHERMILLS FARM: ANATOMY OF A LITHIC SCATTER IN BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY 170, 39-43 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3442.

WICKHAM-JONES, C, 2021, PREHISTORIC COMMUNITIES OF THE RIVER DEE: MESOLITHIC AND OTHER LITHIC SCATTER SITES OF CENTRAL DEESIDE, ABERDEENSHIRE'. (Bibliographic reference). SAB3453.

MESOLITHIC DEESIDE PROJECT, 2022, MESOLITHIC DEESIDE FIELD NOTES 2021-2022 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7556.

MCCHESNEY, J, 2024, COMPLETING THE GRIEVE COLLECTION: CHARACTERISING AND DISCUSSING THE MISSING ELEMENTS (Bibliographic reference). SAB7677.

HAY, R, 2024, DALY COLLECTION NOTES: LITHICS CATALOGUES 2024 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5975.

CLARKE, A, 2024, PREHISTORIC COMMUNITIES OF THE RIVER DEE: MESOLITHIC AND OTHER LITHIC SITES OF CENTRAL DEESIDE, ABERDEENSHIRE 2020-2022
(Bibliographic reference). SAB8671.

RCAHMS, n.d., N KINC LIST, No5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1509.

MICROLITHS

Record last edited

Jan 17 2025 10:10AM