Post-Beaker Period Death and Burial at Northton, Isle Of Harris, Scotland

Abstract

The prehistoric site of Northton, Isle of Harris, is best known for the important settlement evidence that it has produced. A total of 15 burials, however, have also been recovered from the site. These have recently been subject to a new programme of osteological and palaeopathological analysis and radiocarbon dating, the results of which indicate that the burials date from the immediate post-Beaker period through to the later Iron Age. As such, a large proportion of them have originated from periods that have previously been poorly represented in the Western Isles in terms of funerary remains. The objective of the paper is to provide an overview of the new research on the Northton burials, and to place the findings within the broader context of contemporary funerary practices in the Western Isles.