For the past few years I have worked with a number of colleagues (and friends) to examine the traces of Mesolithic activity high in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland. Excitingly, one of the sites, excavated by Graeme Warren and colleagues with a team from University College, Dublin, yielded evidence for a small structure, occupied around 8200 cal BP. This is particularly interesting Continue reading New Paper Published: Mesolithic in the Cairngorms
In his excellent series on world religions, ‘Living with the Gods’, Neil McGregor reminds us that participation in a festival binds us into a recognition of past, present and future. It’s a phrase that got me thinking. In some ways, I feel that Continue reading Celebrations
At this time of year, as I review my summer journeys and start to plan the year ahead, my thoughts turn to the way in which we are drawn to travelling. The human race, it seems to me, is constantly on the move, and I have begun to wonder whether movement, restlessness, is an intrinsic part of the human condition. Continue reading People on the move
In the 1980s I went to run an excavation on the island of Rùm, one of the Inner Hebrides. Although we all knew that this was the correct name, at the time the Ordnance Survey had the island down on its maps as Rhum; anecdotally, the story was that a nineteenth century English landowner had added the ‘h’ in order to remove any ideas of an association with alcohol. So, I had a dilemma: what to Continue reading Place names matter
In 2014 I took on the job of bringing many other people’s work to fruition and putting together the final publication of excavation and analysis at Nethermills Farm, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire. Continue reading New Paper published: Nethermills
I have much enjoyed Neil MacGregor’s BBC Radio Series ‘Living with the Gods’. It is so nice to hear information from prehistory discussed alongside that from historical sites, all put into the context of everyday life today. Or, rather, everyday lives – his outlook has a chronological and geographical scope that is truly impressive. Continue reading Lion Man
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