Table Of Content

KEBISTER: THE FOUR-THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD STORY OF ONE SHETLAND TOWNSHIP OLWYN OWEN & CHRISTOPHER LOWE IfIt ! dedicate this work to Ollr childrell, 13en Owell and James alld ,Hal/hew 1,01l.le, alld to the children of Shetlalld. ror da truth is, Robbie, dat day is by, an aa dis gear sae lately wint wi usc Time's flick is frozen lifeless, sti!l as stane; only da fiddle's no ootdune, da rune, da tunc plays on; da draem, da draem mo\'cs on - da draem () dcm at no sac lang ago clang tac dis rock, loved, toiled, failed, wurc awa an idder folk afore dem an benon - dir lives and deaths makkin da band we ken. dir caandleflames lightin wirs for wir onn. From 'At da Croli Museum', by Stella Sutherland, and reproduced with her permission from Aa Illy selves: Poems 1940-1980 (I .em'ick 1980). Con:r illustrations show front: Ole Kebister hillside and, inset, the armorial stone; back: the excavation and the oil rig supply base. IZEBISTER THE FOUR-THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD STORY OF ONE SHETLAND TOWNSHIP OLWYN OWEN & CHRISTOPHER LOWE with specialist contributions by Patrick Ashmore, Simon Butler, Stephen Carter, Ann Clarke, Geoffrey Collins, Naomi Crowley, /v\agnar Datland, Camilla Dickson, Andrew Dugmorc, Richard Fawcett, Noel Fojut, Barbara Ford, Dennis Gallagher, Pamela Gra\"cs, Julian Henderson, John Higgin, David Jordan, Finbar Iv\cCormick, Jacqueline I McKinley, Ann MacSwccn, Susan Mills, Anthony Newton, Sandra Nyc, Paul M Sharman, Brian Smith, Michael Spearman, Ross 'french-Jellicoe. Illustration Sylvia Stevenson & Christina Unwin SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND MONOGRAPH SERIES NUMBER 14 Edinburgh 1999 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARiES OF SCOTLAND MONOGRAPH SERIES SERIES EDITOR . ALEXANDRA SHEPHERD VOLUlvlE EDITOR . ANNA RITel lIl: This volume is puhlished with the aid of a generous grant from H I STO R I C S C OTLAND The colour illustrations are kindly funded by SHETLAND AMEN ITY TR UST Brili~h I .ihrary Cataloguing-in-Pub1ic~llion 1) ala. i\ emalogue record for this book i!'o ;J\"ailah1e from the British l.ibrary. ISBN 090J903 1-18 Produced by Sunon Publishing ].Id, Stroud, Glos. Printed in Gn::lI Britain by I knTY l.ing Lid, :lIthe Dorset Pres,. Dorchester, Dorset. CONTENTS Foreword Xl Acknowkdgemcnts XLll Kebister in colour :\\'11 I jst of illustrations XX\' List of tables The background to the Kebistcr project I. 1 The physical environment of Shetland . I Geology and geomorphology .2 The soils of Shetland 2 .3 Vegetation and land-usc by Coralie Mills 3 1.2 The em'ironmental and cultural history of Shetland 3 .1 "j'he environmental history of Shetland by Simon Butler 3 .2 The archaeological background by Nod Fojur 7 1.3 The natural setting of KebiSlcr 13 .1 Location and LOpography 13 .2 The geology of Kcbisl(T by the late Geoffrey Collins 14 .3 "'he soils and sediments of the Kcbistcr hillside by David Jordan 16 .4 The vegetation of the hillside by Sandra Nyc 16 .5 Present land-use 17 1.4 A short history of Kebistcr by Brian Smith 17 .1 Placenames 17 .2 'Scat', township size and 'penincnts' 18 .3 Kcbister's owners, landlords and tenants 19 4 The 'improvements' 20 1.5 Introduction to the project 22 2 The hillside survey 23 2.1 Introduction 23 .1 Theory and aims 23 .2 Survey methodology 23 2.2 The archaeological survey 2S . 1 Dykes and field-edges 25 .2 Structures 29 .3 Burnt mounds 35 .4 End()sures 37 .5 Cairns 3R .6 Cultl\·ation remains 38 .7 J\'liscdlaneous features 39 .8 Cist, pits and cremated bone (j\tliscelbneous Feature 4) 40 .9 The crem:Hed bone by Jacqueline I McKinley 40 2.3 The sunT)' of soils and sediments by David Jord:m 41 .1 Aims and melhods 41 .2 Human alteration of the soils 41 .3 Buried soils and the sequence of soil development 41 .4 Phosphates survey 41 .5 pH values 45 .6 Evidence of geomorphological change 45 .7 The presence of limestone 45 .S Conclusions 45 2.4 Peat depths survey by David Jordan, Christopher Lowe and Olwyn Owen 46 .1 The peat depths SUf\'ey and peat development 46 2.5 The vegefation survey by Sandra Nye 47 I Aims and methods 47 .2 Results 48 .3 Archaeological monuments and \'egetation 48 2.6 Present-day pollen deposition by Simon Hutler 48 · I Aims and methods 48 .2 Kesults 49 .3 Conclusions 51 2.7 Fossil pollen profiles and landscape history by Simon BUller 51 · I Introduction 51 .2 Sampling strategy 51 .3 j\lelhods and results 51 .~ Profile summaries 52 .5 Landscape history 64 28 A marine seismic-retlection survey and :lssm:iated palaeoenvironmental work in Dales Voe by Simon Hutler ~md Andrew Dugmore 67 · I Illlroduction 67 .2 Research methods 67 .3 Results and discussion 68 .~ Conclusion -0 2.9 "Iephrochronology al Kebister by Andrew Dugmore and Anthony Newlon 711 .1 Introduction 70 ,2 Analysis of the airfalllayers 72 .3 Discussion 72 ,~ Environmental impacts 74 5 Conclusions -4 2,10 The hillside sur\'Cy: general discussion and conclusions 74 ,I The suryey tedmiques 74 .2 Distribution of seukment in the wider Kebister area 75 ,3 Hum::m acti\'ity at Kebista: a summary chronological interpretation -5 .1 'j'he eXCU\':HIOt1 of the settlement 79 3.1 IntrouLK',ioll 79 .1 Site description 79 .2 Progress of the project 79 3,2 The l'xcavution report "' .1 General introduCiion 81 .2 Organization of the report XI 33 Area I The teind harn H2 .1 Summary 82 .2 Exea\'ation report 84 3A Area 2 ~9 .1 Summary 99 .2 Exca\'ation report 101 3,5 Area J 112 .1 Summary 112 .2 Exca\'ation repOrt 112 3.6 Area ~ 119 .1 Summary 119 .2 Exca\'ation report 120 CONTENTS • ,'" 3.7 Area 5 122 .1 Summary 122 .2 Excavation report 123" 3.8 Area 6 129 .1 Summary 129 .2 Excavation report 130 4 The dating evidence 138 4.1 Radiocarbon dating 138 . 1 Introduction 138 .2 Dating materials and taphonomic considerations 138 .3 Calibration and evaluation of the radiocarbon dates by Magnar Dall,md 139 4.2 Thermoluminescence dating 147 4.3 Towards a structural sequence 147 .1 The phasing of the site 147 5 The artefactual and palaeoenvironmental evidence 151 5.1 The coarse stone tools by Ann Clarke 151 .1 The assemblage 151 .2 Raw materials 151 .3 Artefact types J 51 .4 Discussion 162 5.2 The flaked quartz by Ann Clarke 164 .1 The material 164 .2 Technology 164 .3 Context 166 .4 Discussion 166 5.3 "rhe flint by Ann Clarke 166 5.4 The pumice 167 .1 The assemblage by Ann Clarke 167 .2 The origins of the material by Andrew Dugmore and Anthony Newton 167 5.5 The steatite by Paul M Sharman 168 .1 Introduction 168 .2 Raw material and steatite sources 168 .3 Methods of production 169 .4 Pre-Norse yesseJs 169 .5 Norse vessels 170 .6 Iron handles 173 .7 Norse bake plates 173 .8 Lamps 173 .9 Handles 175 . I 0 Loom weights 175 .11 Line sinkers 175 .12 Spindle whorls 175 .13 Pierced discs 177 .14 Plugs 178 .15 Miscellaneous 178 5.6 The coarse potlery by Magnar Dalland and Ann MacSween 178 .1 Introduction 178 .2 Typology 178 .3 Summary 188 .4 Fabric data of the undiagnostic sherds and their distribution 188 .5 Reworked sherds 200 .6 Conclusions 200 5.7 The medieval and post-medieval pottery by Naomi Crowley and Susan Mills 200 .1 The nature of the assemblage 200 .2 Medieval pottery 200 .3 PosHm:die\'lll poltery 200 .4 Early modern ponery (I:ne 18th 10 ("llrly 20th century) 205 .5 Distribution and dating 205 .6 Discussion 206 5.R The day pipes by Dennis Gallagher 206 .1 Discussion 208 5.9 'I'he glass 208 .1 The glass beads by Julian Henderson 208 .2 The window glass by Hllrbllfa Ford and Pamela Gran,!s 209 .3 I )ark green bottle glass by Barbara Ford 210 .4 :\ \iscellaneous glass by Barbllr:1 Ford llnt! Pamela Gra\'es 211 5.10 The metalwork by Barbara Ford 211 1 Ohiet:\s of non-ferrous metal 211 .2 Iron objects 213 5.11 The armorial stone 215 , The disl.:\)\'ery :1nd context of the Stoll": by Olwyn Owen 215 'The ornament and its comparand<.l by Richard Fawcett 215 .3 The inscriptions by John I-liggin 218 I knry Phllnkouth by Brian Smith 119 5.12 Other c:1f\'ed Stones by Ross Tre1H:h-JellinH': 220 .1 Portahk sl<.lh with im.:ist.'d cross 220 .2 Small ~13b with graffni 212 3 Pebbk "ith "",niti 223 .4 The exotic porphyry by Olwyn Owen 123 -"- , :) 1.1 The hurnl <.Ind industrial debris hy )\ \ichac1 Spo.:arman ,, - --, .1 The iron-working dehris .2 ()Iher typo.:s ofhurnt debris 216 .3 Distribution of debris hy excavation aro.:a 227 .4 Discussion 227 5.14 Tho.: llnimal bone by Finbar :\ lcConnick 228 5.15 Tho.: marilk mollusca by Olwyn O\\"en 22R .1 Prehistoric and mo.:dic\·<.I1 228 .2 Th.: pll~t-meJll'\'al corn-drying kiln 228 5 16 Tho.: plant remains by the l:11e Camilla I )i..:kson 229 ,I InlrodUl,tion 229 2 Ar.:a 1 229 .3 .'\re:1 2 233 •• Aro.:a 3 235 .5 Arell 5 ,D5 .6 :\rea 6 219 l-Iandig..:n 240 .R I )iscu~~i()n 240 .9 Comp:1rison \\'ith oth..:r ;;itcs 143 .10 Summary 244 5.17 P,)llo.:ll analy~is of exca\':Hed cont..:xts by Simon BUller 244 .1 itllroduetion 244 .2 Results 244 248 .1 Gt.'neml discussion by ])a\'id Jordan 24R .2 Analysis of tho.: routine ~()il samples by Skplwl1 Carter 250 6 ])l~cu~~i()n 252 6.1 Ko.:bister before the Iron Age (Phase I . .:ariier than c 500 Be) 252 .1 Neolithic Kchi~t.:r 252 .2 Hronze Ago.: K ... hister 253 3 Burnt mounds :Hld Strucluro.: 254