A spatial analysis of neolithic chambered cairns on the island of Arran, Scotland

Abstract

AbstractThe island of Arran, located to the west of central Scotland, has a dense concentration of Neolithic chambered cairns. The aim of this study is to determine by using a simulation analysis the extent to which thirteen factors influenced the distribution of cairns. Overall, proximity to arable land is shown to be of particular importance but the influence of stream order, coastal type, amplitude of relief, and aspect are also demonstrated to have been of relevance. Since there is little evidence from absolute dating, subdivision of cairns on typological grounds provides the only means for analyzing cairn distributions at three different phases. Results from simulation and cluster analysis indicate variation through time in importance of particular factors. Early cairns are only associated with low relief areas. For cairns of intermediate and later age, the factors as listed above are shown to have been of importance, with proximity to arable land becoming particularly relevant in the last phase. The paper discusses these results in terms of an increasing agricultural component to the Neolithic economy of Arran.