1. Bornais and the Iron Age
Introduction (N Sharples)
The history of the excavations (N Sharples)
A history of archaeology in the southern Hebrides (N Sharples)
The Iron Age background (N Sharples)
The Early Iron Age
The Middle Iron Age
The Late Iron Age
The Hebridean ceramic sequence (A Lane)
Machair settlement in the townships of Bornais and Cill Donnain (N Sharples)
The Iron Age settlement of South Uist (N Sharples)
The research potential (N Sharples)
Methodologies (N Sharples)
Sampling (N Sharples and H Smith)
Sediment analysis of floor layers (H Smith and P Marshall)
Micromorphology (K B Milek)
Pottery (A Lane)
Artefact methodology (A Clarke, P Macdonald and A Smith)
Charcoal (R Gale)
Mammalian bone (J Mulville and A Powell)
Isotopic analysis (R Madgwick, J Mulville, R E Stevens and T C O’Connell)
Bird bone (J Cartledge)
Fish bone (C Ingrem)
Marine shell (N Sharples)
Acknowledgements (N Sharples)
2. The Late Iron Age settlement Introduction (N Sharples)
Early structures (CA) (N Sharples)
Artefacts (A Smith, A Lane and K Harding)
Animal bone (J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
Late Iron Age house (CB) (N Sharples)
House 1
House 2
Micromorphology (K Milek)
Sampling data (N Sharples)
Spatial distributions (N Sharples and E Norris)
Geochemical analysis (H Smith and P Marshall)
Pottery (A Lane)
Measurements (N Sharples)
Artefacts (A Clarke, P Macdonald, A Pannett, N Sharples and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge and H Smith)
Charcoal (R Gale)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
Destruction and infi lling (CC) (N Sharples)
Sampling data (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane)
Measurements (N Sharples)
Artefacts (A Clarke, P Macdonald, A Pannett and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge, R Gale and H Smith)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
The Late Iron Age midden (CG) (N Sharples)
Sampling data (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane)
Measurements (N Sharples)
Artefacts (A Clarke, A Pannett, N Sharples and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge, R Gale and H Smith)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
3. Norse reoccupation
Introduction (N Sharples)
The Norse activity area (CE) (N Sharples)
Sampling data (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane)
Measurements (N Sharples)
Artefacts (A Clarke, P Macdonald, A Pannett and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge, R Gale and H Smith)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
The Norse structure (CD) (N Sharples)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
The Norse middens (CF) (N Sharples)
Sampling data (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane)
Measurements (N Sharples) Artefacts (A Clarke, P Macdonald, A Pannett and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge, R Gale and H Smith)
Animal bone (J Cartledge, C Ingrem, J Mulville and A Powell)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
Unstratified finds (N Sharples)
4. Comparative analysis of the site assemblage
Introduction (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane) Artefacts (A Clarke, P Macdonald, A Pannett, N Sharples and A Smith)
Carbonised plant remains (S Colledge and H Smith)
Overall description of the samples: densities of charred plant remains
Taxonomic composition of the samples
Ubiquity analysis
Correspondence analysis
Charcoal (R Gale)
Mammalian bone (J Mulville and A Powell)
Main food species
Minor species: domestic resources
Minor species: terrestrial wild resources
Minor species: marine wild resources
Bird bone (J Cartledge)
Fish bone (C Ingrem)
Comparison of blocks
Species representation
Density of fish bone
Human bone (A L Carter)
Marine shell and crab (N Sharples and J Light)
The residue analysis (N Sharples)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
5. Chronology
The radiocarbon dates (P Marshall, C Bronk Ramsey and G Cook)
Stable isotopes and C:N ratios
Methodological approach
Objectives and sampling strategies
The sequence
Results
Artefact chronologies (N Sharples and A Lane)
Late Iron Age
Norse
Conclusion (N Sharples)
6. Resource exploitation
Introduction (N Sharples)
The Sea. 1. Fish (C Ingrem)
The Sea. 2. Mammals (J Mulville)
The Sea. 3. Birds (J Cartledge and D Serjeantson)
The Shore. 1. Shellfish (N Sharples)
The Shore. 2. Birds (J Cartledge and D Serjeantson)
The Shore. 3. Wood (R Gale)
The Shore. 4. Stone (A Clarke and A Pannett)
The Machair. 1 Carbonised plant remains (J Summers and J Bond)
Cultivars
Weed taxa
The Machair. 2. Birds (J Cartledge and D Serjeantson)
The Machair. 3. Animal management (J Mulville and A Powell)
Ageing
Size
Conclusion
The Machair. 4. Isotopic analysis of the fauna (R Madgwick, J Mulville, R E Stevens and T C O’Connell)
Results and discussion
Wider context
The Machair. 5. Worked bone (A Smith)
The Moorland. 1. Red deer (J Mulville and A Powell)
The Moorland. 2. Birds (J Cartledge and D Serjeantson)
The Moorland. 3. Carbonised plant remains (J Summers and J Bond)
The Moorland. 4. Trees (R Gale)
The Moorland. 5. Clay (A Lane)
Exotic imports (A Clarke, J Cartledge, R Gale, D Serjeantson and N Sharples)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
7. Site activities
Introduction (N Sharples)
Artefactual evidence (A Clarke, P Macdonald, N Sharples and A Smith)
Manufacturing evidence (including a report on the flint by A Pannett)
Vessels (including a report on the pottery by A Lane)
Currency (G Williams)
Personal items
Horse fittings
Decorative objects, gaming pieces and religious objects (including a report on an Ogham-inscribed plaque by K Forsyth)
Tools for textile production
Other tools
Structural fittings
Miscellaneous metal objects
The slag (T Young)
Distribution Description
Conclusions
The movement, distribution and disposal of plant materials (J Summers and J Bond )
Charcoal (R Gale)
Fish preparation and consumption (C Ingrem)
The consumption of birds (J Cartledge and D Serjeantson)
Animal bone taphonomy (J Mulville and A Powell)
Butchery
Anatomical representation of major terrestrial species
Stratigraphic block differences
Red deer
Discussion of body part distribution
Conclusion (N Sharples)
8. Discussion
Introduction (N Sharples)
The wheelhouse (N Sharples)
Wheelhouse use (N Sharples)
The abandonment and destruction of the wheelhouse (N Sharples)
The use of material culture (N Sharples)
The social importance of artefacts (N Sharples, A Clarke and A Smith)
Power relations in the Iron Age (N Sharples)
The agricultural economy of a late wheelhouse
Crops (J Summers and J Bond)
Mammals (J Mulville)
The birds (D Serjeantson)
The fish (C Ingrem)
The Norse occupation of mound 1 (N Sharples)
Pottery (A Lane)
The metals (P Macdonald)
The stone and bone tools (A Clarke, N Sharples and A Smith)
Mammals (J Mulville)
The fish (C Ingrem)
The birds (D Serjeantson)
Conclusion (N Sharples)
