Document record MAB62576 - NETHER MILLS CRATHES

Mesolithic site, a settlement first recognised as a scatter of flints on the first terrace above the River Dee.

Mesolithic site, a settlement first recognised as a scatter of flints on the first terrace above the River Dee. Between 1973 and 1975, a large number of worked flints, including thumbnail scrapers and end scrapers, complete tools and waste flakes, have been found across the site. In total, over 3151 worked flints have been found (31 lb 4oz in weight). Dr Grieve's Site C. Recent analysis of this collection suggests that the collection is dominated by Late Mesolithic pieces, although it includes nine certain Early Mesolithic microliths. It also includes one Levallois-like core and five Levallois-like flakes suggesting a later Neolithic presence at the site. Excavation was carried out on the settlement 1978-81, the site interpreted as a hunter gatherer camp with probable evidence for a circular structure. Some 20,000 pieces of flint were recovered (suggested to be derived from sources along the coast and in Buchan). The work in 1980 identified an occupation derived discoloured subsoil covering much of the area investigated, with a few associated features including stake holes and post holes. The site was dated to the late Mesolithic and it was suggested that it was a camp occupied in winter and spring. In January - March 2009 adjoining areas of two recently ploughed fields were fieldwalked by OFARS at 2m intervals to include this site and its surrounds. Over 4300 flints were collected from an area of circa .100000 m2, extending 500 m along and 250 m from the terrace edge. The assemblage contains all stages of production, from the preparation of raw material to finished tools. The major element represents later (Narrow Blade) Mesolithic technology, with diagnostic microliths, microburins, and cores, but only a few scrapers. However, larger broad-bladed isosceles triangles, retouched on both sides, and one obliquely retouched 'point' may represent an earlier Broad Blade industry. Recent evaluation of the excavated site and analysis of the lithics has confirmed the significance of the site. The scatter of lithics indicates repeated visits by Meslithic communities. It has not been possible to verify the existence of a Mesolithic 'house' the radiocarbon dates from features associated with the potential structure providing a wide range of sates from the 6th millennium onwards. Few of the lithics indicate activity after the Mesolithic period. Geophysical, topographical and aerial survey was carried out in 2017 to provide background information about the site. Further flints (over 2500) including blades, cores and flakes, were recovered in 2017 and 2018 during fieldwalking as part of the Mesolithic Deeside project on the eastern of the two fields. Test pitting was carried out by the Mesolithic Deeside project in February 2019. A total of 150 pits were excavated, many revealing evidence of modern agricultural activities at their base. Five revealed potentially older features. Samples from two pits gave radiocarbon dates of 6830-6640 BC, a classic date for a narrow-blade Mesolithic lithic assemblage for TP68 and 3950-3780 BC, within the early Neolithic for TP69. The 433 lithics recovered were all of flint, and included 12 cores, a large number of flakes (31 percent of the assemblage) and blades (24 percent), and a range of retouched pieces, including two scrapers. It also included a shouldered point, of probable Late Upper Palaeolithic date, and three knives (one a Late Neolithic slug knife). The assemblage is derived predominantly from the ploughsoil with no flints from recognisable archaeological features, and is of missed prehistoric date thought predominantly Mesolithic. Further fieldwalking was carried out by the Mesolithic Deeside project in the eastern half of the west field in 2021, and a total of 1,185 lithics were recovered. Further fieldwalking was carried out in the western part of the west field in January 2022, in areas where previous scatters had been recorded, although only a further 40 lithics were recovered. Lithics in the Daly Collection, collected in the 1980s and 1990s, were assessed in 2024 as part of the Mesolithic Deeside Project and 119 lithics identified from this site.

Period Notes
Radiocarbon dates: 2019 test pitting - SUERC-93093 (GU55100), TP68 cut feature, 7868+/-31 BP, calibrated to 6830-6640 BC at 2 sigma; SUERC-93097 (GU55101) TP68 cut feature 7887+/-31 BP, calibrated to 7000-6640 BC; SUERC-93098 (GU55102) TP 69 fill of palaeochannel, 3950+/-31 BP, calibrated to 3950-3780 BC. Peat core (2018) SUERC-79257 (GU47385) 4950+/-30, calibrated to 3786-3657 BC

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 17/10/81 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

THE SCOTSMAN, 0000, THE SCOTSMAN, 27/10/80 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1819.

BEELEY, JE, 1975, DES,5, 57 (Bibliographic reference). SAB105.

KENWORTHY, JB, 1980, DES,14, 14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB961.

FLINTS

KENWORTHY, JB, 1981, NETHERMILLS FARM, CRATHES: EXCAVATIONS 1978-80 INTERIM REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB959.

SHEPHERD, IAG, 1985, BASG (Bibliographic reference). SAB1639.

OMAND, D, 1987, THE GRAMPIAN BOOK (Bibliographic reference). SAB1359.

BOYD, W E, 1988, THE USE OF WOOD AS A NATURAL RESOURCE AT A SCOTTISH MESOLITHIC SITE. UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT , Unpub paper (Bibliographic reference). SAB3761.

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.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2010, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND: VOL 10, 2009, p.16 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3514.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2012, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 12, 2011, pp. 12-13 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5536.

NORTHLIGHT HERITAGE, 2015, NETHERMILLS, CRATHES, ABERDEENSHIRE: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (PROJECT 4426161) (Bibliographic reference). SAB3032.

WICKHAM-JONES, C, 2017, ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS AT NETHERMILLS FARM, DEESIDE, 1978-18 IN PSAS 146, PP 7-55 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3439.

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 text (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.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019, NETHERMILLS, CRATHES, ABERDEENSHIRE, TEST PITTING DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB8495.

WICKHAM-JONES, C, 2019, NOTES ON THE MATERIAL COLLECTED AT DIFFERENT PERIODS FROM NM4: THE EXCAVATION FIELD AT NETHERMILLS (Bibliographic reference). SAB3459.

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.

MESOLITHIC DEESIDE PROJECT, 2021, MESOLITHIC DEESIDE FIELD NOTES 2021 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7543.

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.

Author unknown, n.d., EVENING EXPRESS, 29/10/79 (Bibliographic reference). SAB446.

Author unknown, n.d., EVENING EXPRESS, 31/08/81 (Bibliographic reference). SAB446.

RCAHMS, n.d., N KINC LIST, No8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1509.

Oct 14 1981 , COLOUR PRINTS, COLOUR PRINTS (Ground Photograph). SAB15902.

Oct 14 1981 , POLAROID, POLAROID (Ground Photograph). SAB15903.

Record last edited

Apr 16 2025 11:54AM