Dating a burnt mound from Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland

Abstract

Around 1600 burnt mounds, comprising heaps of fire cracked stones, up to several metres across with characteristic forms, are listed in the National Monuments Records of Scotland, with a diverse distribution. Many more are known in other parts of Europe, notably in Ireland and Scandinavia. Traditionally, these monuments are thought to relate to cooking activities throughout the Bronze Age though in recent years alternative functions have been suggested. Here results are presented from Lady Glassery Wood, a recently excavated site in the Kilmartin Valley. Samples for luminescence dating were collected in 1998, together with field gamma spectrometry measurements. Associated charcoal has also been subjected to radiocarbon dating. Despite and unusually low internal radioactivity from the rock samples examined, and low luminescence sensitivities from separated minerals, it has been possible to obtain concordant luminescence ages from both quartz and feldspars, giving a mean date of 2800±300 BC. Radiocarbon dating produces a 2 sigma calibrated age range of approximately 2800–2400 cal BC, in agreement with the luminescence age, indicating a late Neolithic date for the mound, one of a growing number of early dates in Scotland.