The Isle of Bute: An Archaeological Research Framework

assemblage of animal bones, a rich pottery assemblage, a suite of lithic material, and remains from middens give some idea of local economy and manufacture. Spindle whorls, querns, combs and even a bone whistle, most notable from Dunagoil and Dun Scalpsie, give some idea of local practices whilst isolated finds of Neolithic axes and jet necklaces from Inchmarnock and Mount Stuart reflect networks of contacts for these early farming communities that extend far beyond Bute. Megalithic stones at St Colmacs Cottages and Largizean and deliberately discarded rare metal halberds at Largizean similarly hint at preoccupations beyond the day to day rhythms of the yearly farming cycle. Some impression of these early farmers can therefore be gained from these material residues. Re-evaluation of the artefactual material has recently begun (ie Finlay 2012; Sheridan 2012) and much remains to be discovered through a fresh look at this record.

Medieval rural settlement also appears to be scarce in the archaeological record on Bute, although further exploration of putative 13th century buildings at Little Dunagoil, and the RCAHMS survey evidence of earlier house platforms at the same site, may be significant. Similarly, it is not inconceivable that some of the many deserted settlement sites recorded by BNHS harbour evidence of medieval foundation. Of particular note is the recent work on Bute place names (Markus 2012) which has identified the broad boundaries of the Norse estates on the island, and also work on later land divisions (Hannah 2012). For the first time we have an understanding of the character of land divisions on the island that may stretch as far back as the 11th century; further study of the relationship between these divisions and archaeological monuments, combined with later map and documentary evidence, is highlighted as a fruitful area to pursue to untangle the complex rural landscape palimpsest that exists at present. GIS based analysis and LiDAR survey may be particularly helpful in this regard.

In contrast to the above, the later medieval and improvement periods offer a wealth of information about farming practice and rural living (eg Geddes 2012). Mapping of deserted rural settlements began in the early 1970s on Bute and BNHS members 20