Find Spot record MAB49353 - EAST PARK

Fieldwalking in 2016 and 2017 by the Mesolithic Deeside Project recorded a lithics scatter concentrated along the river side of the field, including the area of the previously recorded scatter (NO79NE0023).

Fieldwalking in 2016 and 2017 by the Mesolithic Deeside Project recorded a lithics scatter concentrated along the river side of the field, including the area of the previously recorded scatter (NO79NE0023). The third terrace, circa 30m above sea level, recorded the highest number of lithics in 2017, and is thought to be post Mesolithic in age suggesting that the finds were washed onto this terrace from above. Fieldwalking along the southern edge in 2018 recovered 598 lithics. Test pitting was carried out by Cameron Archaeology and Mesolithic Deeside Project volunteers in November 2018. A total of 37 test pits were dug on three river terraces in the field, and 305 worked flints recovered. Lithics from the test pits comprised mainly flakes and blades, with a number of small flakes and spalls. Only seven cores were found, from five test pits in the southeast corner of the field. Several retouched tools were also concentrated in the same area, and including a narrow blade microlith and two edge retouched blades. Most of these are likely to date to the Mesolithic but a knife form made on a broad blade may date to the Neolithic. Further fieldwalking was carried out by the Mesolithic Deeside Project in January - February 2019 and over 2,800 worked flints recovered, including blades, cores and flakes. The total assemblage from fieldwalking and test pitting is now 3,928. The majority is of flint with only three pieces of rhyolite, nine of quartzite and one of chalcedony. The collection includes a wide range of cores and flaked pebbles, most commonly single platform, but including some complex blade cores. The wide range in the dimensions of blades produced from these, suggests various occupations and activities. Flakes were also numerous, and there are indications of Late Neolithic flint working on site. Tools made from flakes include scrapers (49), microliths, blades and knife forms. Overall the finds indicated that this area was the focus of activity, on and off, from the Late Upper Palaeolithic through the Mesolithic to the Late Neolithic. Probably Late Upper Palaeolithic material includes end scrapers, a shouldered point, and a possible bec, though little clear evidence that flint was knapped here at that date. Three broad-blade microliths may date from the Early Mesolithic, but he most abundant material from the site is of Late Mesolithic date including knapping debris, blades and retouched pieces. Some pieces could possibly indicate Early Neolithic working, activity in the Late Neolithic is more definitely evidences by knife and scraper types. The source of the pebbles is not clear.

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.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019, EAST PARK, DRUMOAK: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT FOR COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY TEST PITTING, Test pitting report (Bibliographic reference). SAB7962.

TIPPING, R, 2019, EAST PARK: GEOMORPHOLOGY AND PIRSL/POSL ANALYSIS (Bibliographic reference). SAB3410.

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

Record last edited

Aug 7 2024 10:43AM