Irish–Scottish connections in the fi rst millennium AD: an evaluation of the links between souterrain ware and Hebridean ceramics

Abstract

Although some limited consideration has been given to the possibility of links between the early medieval ceramic traditions of the Western Isles and the souterrain ware of north-east Ireland, these have tended to be framed in the context of supposed Dalriadic cultural influence flowing from Ireland to Scotland. A re-evaluation of the possible relationships between these pottery styles suggests that souterrain ware might instead be seen as part of a regional expansion of western Scottish pottery styles in the seventh-eighth centuries ad. This raises the question of what social processes might underlie the cross-regional patterning evident in what remains a vernacular, rather than a high-status, technology. Introduction Archaeological studies of cultural connections between Scotland and Ireland during the first millennium ad have been hampered by a number of perceptual and organisational factors. Modern political boundaries have inevitably led to the emergence of distinct archaeological traditions within Scotland and Ireland, while histories of prospection, methodologies of recording, conventions in publication, and priorities for excavation have also evolved differently. Curatorial and classificatory systems have similarly grown up quite separately on either side of the North Channel. While understandable for a variety of reasons, this has tended to compartmentalise primary archaeological research and prevent the perception of some interesting aspects of cultural patterning which cut across modern political boundaries. The few attempts to embrace material on both sides of the water in our period have tended to be driven not by archaeological, but by historical or pseudo-historical questions deriving from what are generally very partial documentary sources. For the first millennium ad the two great marker points are of course the supposed Dalriadic migration from Ulster to Argyll around ad 500, and the Viking movements south and westwards through the Hebrides to south-west Scotland and Ireland from around ad 800. It is the first of these that is of concern to us most directly here. For present purposes, the discussion will be restricted to the specifically archaeological aspects of the debates surrounding Scottish DalRiata. * Author's e-mail: i.armit@qub.ac.uk doi: 10.33 18/PRIAC.2008. 108.1 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Vol. 108C, 1-18 © 2008 Royal Irish Academy This content downloaded from 157.55.39.138 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 05:52:22 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms