Mesolithic 'rest stop' found at new Sainsbury's site

BBC ^ | 18 July 2011 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists believe the remains of burned oak uncovered at the site of the first Sainsbury's in the Highlands to be evidence of an ancient "rest stop".

The supermarket and a filling station are being constructed on the outskirts of Nairn, at a cost of about £20m.

Headland Archaeologists investigated the site ahead of building work.

They radiocarbon-dated the hearth to the Mesolithic period, which started as the last Ice Age ended about 12,000 years ago.

...the archaeologists said the fire appeared to have been made to provide heat and not cooking, because no food waste was found...

"The dating of a feature from charcoal is problematic since the wood that was being burned may have been felled a long time before it was used. Activity in the area during the Mesolithic period is known from the discovery of a number of small flint tools along the Culbin Sands in Nairn. The lack of any other Mesolithic dating on the site suggests that there was no settlement in the area, and that instead the hearth represents a temporary rest stop."

Massive tsunami

Nomadic hunter-gatherers may have been attracted to nearby Culbin Sands because of its woodland wildlife, or to fish along its shoreline, according Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). FCS manage forestry in the area.

During the Mesolithic period, Britain was transformed from a peninsula to an island.

It is thought that landslides in Norway -- the Storegga Slides -- triggered a massive tsunami when a landlocked sea burst its banks.

The water struck the north-east of Britain with such force it travelled 25 miles (40km) inland, covering low-lying plains in water or turning it into marshlands.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

References the tsunami that split Britain from the continent.

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[SunkenCiv]

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[Average Al]

Did they find government run restrooms? ;-)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

And Britain became home to an island race.

[IbJensen]

Probably a rest stop for arabs.

[exDemMom]

...the archaeologists said the fire appeared to have been made to provide heat and not cooking, because no food waste was found...

Invalid assumption, IMO. The ancient travelers could have cleaned up after themselves. Animals could have carried off any food waste. Any leftover food may have completely decayed. The archaeologists should stick to what they know and can show empirically, without throwing in speculations.

[grey_whiskers]

You...you just don't know science!

You must be one of those rabid right-wingers Janet Incompetano warned us about right before the Norwegian killings. And you probably voted for Sarah Palin! /DU-mode>

Cheers!

[null and void]

"The dating of a feature from charcoal is problematic since the wood that was being burned may have been felled a long time before it was used.

Huh?

[Reily]

Weird statement, because I am sure the wood was cut well within the error of carbon dating.

[null and void]

Precisely.

[Quix]

There’s a bunch of potentially curious to interesting videos in the sidebar and ending options to this video—scroll down:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/22/roswell-ufo-cover-up_n_904039.html?ref=email_share

[Quix]

There’s a bunch of potentially curious to interesting videos in the sidebar and ending options to this video—scroll down:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/22/roswell-ufo-cover-up_n_904039.html?ref=email_share

[AndrewC]

I am sure the wood was cut well within the error of carbon dating.

That assumes the wood was cut. They were just being anal, like me.

[null and void]

How long does a fallen tree last in good enough condition to be firewood in your neck of the woods?

[strongbow]

I’ve always maintained that one can’t sink a spade in the earth in England without finding something interesting. When stationed at RAF Lakenheath in early nineties there was always some find when a new building was started. One time they found a burial site of a Viking and his horse fully intact. This article caught my eye also because my wife and our little killer Jack Russell stayed in Nairn on a holiday once. Remember it for the walks on the beach and a great pub there. We also were into antique hunts and found a few good pieces around there. I also remember it as a historic area for clashes between the Covenentors and the establishment religion. Being a reformed Presbyterian I found that of particular interest.

[Reily]

still even if it was “gathered” — meaning found “in situ” and picked up off the ground I contend its still within the measurement error of carbon dating.

[SunkenCiv]

That’s confusing wording, imho. If the charcoal is from the core of the log, it’s going to be years, decades, or even centuries older than the newest ring and the bark. Cut down the tree, cut it up into firewood, and the same hearth can seem to show that some group kept building fires in the same spot for years, decades, or centuries.

[AndrewC]

How long does a fallen tree last in good enough condition to be firewood in your neck of the woods?

As I said, anal.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks strongbow!