A rock and a hard place: perspectives on the archaeology of St. Kilda, Scotland
Convenors
Tony Pollard
Alex Morrison
The archipelago of islands known as St. Kilda is located in the open Atlantic some 64 kilometres to the west of the Outer Hebrides group, off the west coast of Scotland. The archipelago has been designated a World (Natural) Heritage Site by the United Nations and is in the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland, a charitable body which as part of its archaeological management plan financed the work reported here. Hirta, which although the largest of the half dozen or so islands and stacs measures just 4km x 2km, was evacuated of its indigenous human population in 1930, an event which left in its wake an exceptionally well preserved and unique cultural landscape. It is hoped that the islands will eventually qualify for World (Cultural) Heritage status.
For the last seven years the Universities of Glasgow and Durham have been engaged in a programme of survey and excavation, augmented by environmental analysis, which has provided a valuable insight into the history of human occupation. Despite the exposed character and isolated position of these small islands evidence for human activity stretches back several thousand years. The papers presented here will summarise the work of the St. Kilda Archaeological Project, and in addition to providing an introduction to environmental history, material culture, settlement and economy, will place the archipelago’s archaeology within its wider Scottish context and consider themes such as isolation, maritimism and ritual practice.
papers:
Author 1 Author 2 Title
Huntley Life at the edge of the world: evidence for crop and medicinal plants from St. Kilda, Outer Hebrides
Huntley Palynological aspects of diet and economy on St Kilda
Johnson Hovels, hidey holes or houses for the dead? s025jhn1
Morrison An introduction of the settlement History of St. Kildar s025mrr2
Pollard New Horizons: St Kilda and the prehistoric colonisation of the Scottish Islands S025pll1