They were Scotland's earliest inhabitants, bands of hunter-gatherers who roamed the mountains more than 10,000 years ago. But precious evidence of the country's Stone Age ancestors is now at severe risk of being lost forever. Experts fear a site high in the Cairngorms that has already yielded a tantalising glimpse into the lives of our prehistoric forebears could soon be destroyed by flooding and erosion.
Urgent Rescue Mission Planned
Now an urgent archaeological rescue mission is being planned to unearth and preserve further evidence before it disappears completely. The focus of the project is at Chest of Dee on the Mar Lodge Estate near Braemar in Aberdeenshire, which is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
NTS senior archaeologist Dr Daniel Rhodes said: 'The area is rich in archaeological material telling the fascinating story of Scotland's earliest human habitation - but it could be lost forever. We have seen erosion accelerating in the past couple of years - hence the sense of urgency. We need to safeguard as much of the archaeology as possible.'
Accidental Discovery in 2003
The first evidence of the area's Stone Age inhabitants was unearthed by accident in 2003 when NTS staff maintaining footpaths discovered a collection of shaped stones - which turned out to be prehistoric flint tools. Over the next two decades, excavations were carried out in the area near Chest of Dee, which is a series of waterfalls in a rocky gorge on the remote upper reaches of the River Dee deep in the heart of the Cairngorms mountain range.
The discoveries helped paint a vivid picture of life in the Mesolithic Period - and of a dramatically altered landscape. Dr Rhodes explained: 'What we found offered an insight into Scotland's earliest occupants, the hunter-gatherers who were moving through the landscape over a long period of time between 9,000BC and 4,000BC.'
A Different Landscape
'Stand in the Cairngorms today and you see a treeless and unpopulated mountain wilderness. But charcoal found in the fire-pits that have been unearthed in the area show that in 7,500BC the valley bottom was an open woodland of pine, birch, hazel and rowan.'
'The theory is that, thousands of years ago, hunter gatherers were travelling through the low passes between the mountains, possibly following the herds of animals they were hunting. They were camping among the trees and digging pits for fires so they could cook and keep warm.'
'Evidence suggests they were making tools here: blades and scrapers for butchering animals, for cutting the plants they foraged, and for cooking.'
Race Against Time
However the NTS is facing a race against time to protect the site. Dr Rhodes said: 'The natural movement of the river is washing evidence away. And with climate change we are seeing more periods of extreme wet weather, which increases the risk of flooding and erosion, and also more periods of extreme hot weather which can allow soil to blow away.'
Archaeology Rescue Project
As a result, the NTS is launching an 'Archaeology Rescue' project and is currently advertising for skilled experts. Documents state: 'It has been identified that the banks of the River Dee at the Chest of Dee, on the Mar Lodge Estate, contain rare prehistoric archaeological remains from the period of earliest human activity in Scotland. These remains are eroding into the river. Archaeological excavation and recording are needed to prevent the loss of this rare cultural heritage.'
The work will include:
- Mapping and describing the site
- Producing detailed plans for excavation
- Managing excavations
- Logging all the findings
Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle
Archaeologists believe Mesolithic people headed into the hills carrying their own provisions which they later supplemented by hunting deer, fish and birds and foraging for plants and fungi. Larger mammals, such as deer, also provided them with skins for use in clothing and shelters, sinews for bindings and antler and bone for use in making tools.
The National Trust for Scotland is a conservation charity, with more than 330,000 members, that protects and promotes the nation's natural and cultural heritage. This urgent mission represents one of their most critical preservation efforts to date, as climate change threatens to erase physical evidence of Scotland's earliest human history before it can be properly documented and understood.
