Of Birds and Bones: Fowling at Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Outer Hebrides (Julia Best)

Of Birds and Bones: Fowling at Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Outer Hebrides (Julia Best)

This poster presents the results from an osteoarchaeological analysis of the avian remains from the Bronze Age to Early Iron Age site of Cladh Hallan. The Scottish Islands contain many archaeological sites, some of which are of worldwide significance. Between the years 1989 and 2003 excavations were conducted by SEARCH (Sheffield Environmental and Archaeological Research Campaign in the Hebrides) on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, after sand quarrying exposed a prehistoric site that was to be of international importance (Pearson et al. 2004, 19). This site, Cladh Hallan, was launched into the media spotlight after the discovery of mummified human foundation burials beneath a terrace of Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age roundhouses (Pearson et al. 2005, 529-530)

In addition to the human remains, the settlement also produced a varied faunal assemblage, which included many species of bird. In island sites, these wild resources can have particular value. The Cladh Hallan avian analysis therefore considered the importance of birds in the economies and identities of small island communities and birds’ role in maximising resources in marginalized locations (Fleming 2005, 87-94). This analysis is part of a wider examination of birds in island locations, and is significant since unfortunately bird remains have to an extent been under-analysed, and where work does exist it is frequently not incorporated into the wider archaeological site interpretation. Because of the significant role that birds can fulfil in island locations, failure to analyse and interpret the avian remains can result in partial and inaccurate reconstructions of subsistence, economy and society for these important sites, which are frequently characterised by their specific island locations (Fleming 2005, 80-92).

The bird bone from Cladh Hallan revealed year round exploitation of avian resources, with both winter and summer visitors being caught and butchered. The range of breeding species represented suggests that eggs would also have contributed to the diet. Cladh Hallan’s inhabitants exploited a diverse range of species from a wide spectrum of habitats, allowing insight into their use of the environment surrounding the settlement. The species present would have required a variety of capture methods, and the presence of certain species such as gannet suggests that fowling may have involved the acquisition of birds which were not available in the immediate vicinity of the settlement. The species represented, together with intensive butchery, imply that fowling was primarily conducted for meat acquisition, but evidence for feather removal was also noted. A large number of worked bird bones were discovered, demonstrating that avian bone was used as a raw material and providing information on the manufacture and use of bone tools and decorative items.

Fleming, A. 2005. St Kilda and the wider world: Tales of an iconic island.
Cheshire: Windgather Press Ltd.
Pearson, M. P., Sharples, N. and Symonds, J. 2004. South Uist: archaeology
and history of a Hebridean island. Gloucester: Tempus Publishing Ltd.
Pearson, M.P., Chamberlain, A., Craig, O., Marshall, P., Mulville, J., Smith, H.,
Chenery, C., Collins, M. Cook, G., Craig, O., Evans, J., Hiller, J., Montgomery, J., Schwenninger, J-L., Taylor, G. and Wess, T. 2005. ‘Evidence for mummification in prehistoric Britain’. Antiquity 79, 529–546

Julia Best, Cardiff University

No