{"id":213551,"date":"2025-04-29T21:44:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T21:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/anthropology\/tracing-the-ahrensburgian-in-scotlands-far-northwest\/"},"modified":"2025-04-29T21:44:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T21:44:41","slug":"tracing-the-ahrensburgian-in-scotlands-far-northwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=213551","title":{"rendered":"Tracing the Ahrensburgian in Scotland\u2019s Far Northwest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>When the last Ice Age released its grip on northern Europe, vast landscapes emerged from the ice. Among them was a rugged, newly exposed frontier\u2014the British Isles. While the southern lowlands began to host reindeer hunters and mobile foragers, the highlands and islands of Scotland remained largely uncharted in the archaeological record. Until now.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"733\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:733,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:240288,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/162489770?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F639112f1-65e7-4a54-934b-cc53b8485bf9_1280x733.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Drone surveyed the orthomosaic map of the Sconsor foreshore, showing the circular stone alignment (C1) within the Sconser foreshore. Credit: K. Hardy et al., Journal of Quaternary Science (2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>A new study in the <\/span><em><span>Journal of Quaternary Science<\/span><\/em><span> suggests that at least one band of Late Upper Paleolithic foragers made their way to the windswept tip of the Isle of Skye, a place so remote it has long been considered beyond the reach of early postglacial settlement. Their toolstone traces\u2014small but significant\u2014point toward a likely Ahrensburgian presence in northwestern Scotland around 11,000 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The site in question lies at the far northern end of Skye, in a landscape carved by retreating glaciers and shaped by Atlantic storms. Lithic artifacts recovered during recent surveys\u2014specifically tanged points, backed bladelets, and other microliths\u2014match the technological signature of the Ahrensburgian tradition, which spread across northern Europe in the terminal Pleistocene.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:433,&quot;width&quot;:650,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:88581,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/162489770?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69d034d9-da09-47ce-945f-b83859df6ed0_650x433.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Stone tools found on Skye. Credit Karen Hardy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Ahrensburgian culture is best known from the North European Plain, where hunter-gatherers adapted to the cold, open tundra with a specialized hunting toolkit aimed at reindeer. Their presence in mainland Britain has long been debated. Evidence has trickled in from sites in Yorkshire and Kent, but Skye, until now, was off the archaeological map.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThese are not Mesolithic microliths,\u201d says Karen Hardy, lead author of the study. \u201cThey\u2019re tanged points, indicative of an Ahrensburgian horizon, likely brought by groups moving along the coast as the ice retreated and sea levels changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The timing aligns with a narrow climatic window at the end of the Younger Dryas, when cold adapted species\u2014and the humans who followed them\u2014had a brief final foothold in northern Britain before Holocene warming and sea-level rise transformed the landscape.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"834\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/f207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:834,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:104502,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/162489770?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff207585b-5d51-4a6b-a408-ba4c53217300_1280x834.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Examples of artefacts from South Cuidrach (reproduced from Hardy and Ballin, 2024, with permission). Credit: K. Hardy et al., Journal of Quaternary Science (2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>One of the study\u2019s most compelling arguments rests on the paleogeography of the North Atlantic shelf. During the Late Glacial period, sea levels were much lower than today. The Inner Hebrides, including Skye, were not isolated islands, but part of an expansive coastal plain that extended far west into what is now submerged under the sea.<\/p>\n<p>These conditions would have made coastal migration possible\u2014and even practical\u2014for reindeer and humans alike. As glaciers receded, herbivores expanded into new pastures, drawing hunters behind them.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe must consider not only what is visible today,\u201d Hardy notes, \u201cbut also what has been lost to the sea. The edge of everything then was not where it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As sea levels rose in the early Holocene, these low-lying corridors were gradually drowned, erasing a vital chapter of human movement. What remains are scattered clues\u2014like the artifacts on Skye\u2014that hint at deeper stories.<\/p>\n<p>Skepticism is natural when dealing with such fragmentary finds. The lithic assemblage from Skye is small, and no bone or organic remains have survived to provide radiocarbon dates. But the tool forms and stratigraphic context match known Late Glacial typologies. The study leans on comparative typology, technological analysis, and landscape modeling to build its case.<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, this site adds to a growing body of evidence that Late Upper Paleolithic peoples were more mobile and more widespread in Britain than previously assumed. And it reinforces the idea that coastal and insular zones\u2014often marginalized in reconstructions of early prehistory\u2014may have played pivotal roles in human dispersals.<\/p>\n<p>The suggestion of an Ahrensburgian presence in Skye challenges longstanding narratives that confine Late Upper Paleolithic activity to southern England. Instead, it points to dynamic forager lifeways adapted not only to the continent&#8217;s interior but also to its shifting coasts and island fringes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:433,&quot;width&quot;:650,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:233668,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/162489770?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ffa30dd-c1a7-4c3a-9982-6bbc2ccd5ed5_650x433.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Sconser, circular alignment. Credit Jamie Booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This discovery, modest in size but bold in implication, helps reframe the final chapters of Ice Age human history in the British Isles.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAt the far end of everything,\u201d the study\u2019s authors write, \u201cthere were people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And they left behind not grandeur, but fragments\u2014a chipped blade here, a broken tang there. Enough to glimpse the long-forgotten routes taken by the hunters who ventured, briefly, to the cold margins of the world.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><span>Grimm, S. B., &amp; Weber, M.-J. (2008). The chronostratigraphy of the Late Paleolithic Federmesser-Gruppen complex: A re-evaluation. <\/span><em>Arch\u00e4ologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 38<\/em><span>(1), 1\u201328.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span>Barton, R. N. E., Roberts, A. J., &amp; Roe, D. A. (1991). The Late Glacial in north-west Europe: Human adaptation and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene. <\/span><em>CBA Research Report 77<\/em><span>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5284\/1000335<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span>Conneller, C., &amp; Schadla-Hall, R. (2003). Beyond Star Carr: The Vale of Pickering in the tenth millennium BP. <\/span><em>Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 69<\/em><span>, 85\u2013105. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0079497X00001128<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the last Ice Age released its grip on northern Europe, vast landscapes emerged from the ice. Among them was a rugged, newly exposed frontier\u2014the British Isles. While the southern lowlands began to host reindeer hunters and mobile foragers, the highlands and islands of Scotland remained largely uncharted in the archaeological record. Until now. Drone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11767],"tags":[80901,26816,49027,14503],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-213551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","tag-ahrensburgian","tag-northwest","tag-scotlands","tag-tracing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Tracing the Ahrensburgian in Scotland\u2019s Far Northwest - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=213551\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tracing the Ahrensburgian in Scotland\u2019s Far Northwest - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the last Ice Age released its grip on northern Europe, vast landscapes emerged from the ice. 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