The prehistoric period in the history of Scotland covers a part of the history of Scotland from the time of the first appearance of man by archeologists and the appearance of written sources. The ideas about this period, including the dating, are based exclusively on the data of archeology and are tied to the archaeological monuments typical for a certain period.
Traces of Neanderthal or modern human habitat in Scotland, belonging to the Pleistocene interglacial, have not yet been found, although theoretically such migrations were possible, as evidenced by the presence of monuments of the industry in neighboring England. Perhaps the traces of that period were completely destroyed under the ice sheet. The first human footprints were found in Scotland only since the end of the last glaciation of 11 thousand B.C. when the Flemish interglacial period, which continues to this day, began. Since then, the landscape of Scotland has undergone significant changes under the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors.
In the epoch of the last glaciation and several thousand years after its termination, the sea level was lower than the present due to the existence of a massive ice sheet gradually receding to the north. For this reason, the Orkney archipelago and many of the Inner Hebrides connected to Britain and / or continental Europe. A large land area known as Doggerland existed in most of the North Sea right up to the end of the Mesolithic, which made it possible for relatively early migrants for early settlers to migrate through Scotland. The subsequent isostatic uplift of the soil was the reason that it is difficult for modern paleogeologists to unequivocally establish an ancient coastline; in particular, along the coast of Scotland there are still numerous raised shores.
Many of the archaeological sites are located in the North Scottish Highlands and adjacent islands – Orkney, Shetland and Hebrides. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the current population of these areas is relatively small, and the monuments for a long time remained intact. In addition, most of this area was covered with peat, which contributed to the preservation of stone fragments, although the associated increased acidity led to the decomposition of organic materials. Also, many important finds were made in the Orkney archipelago, where sand and land were suitable for agriculture predominate. The ancient structures could survive here because of the fear of the locals before them and the cults that had arisen around them.
Assigning the finds on the territory of Scotland to different archaeological periods is not an easy task. The Paleolithic lasted until the retreat of the ice sheet, the Mesolithic – before the introduction of agriculture, and the Neolithic – before the processing of metals. However, these processes probably did not occur synchronously in different parts of Scotland. A number of settlements existed for quite a long time; it is especially difficult to separate the Neolithic from the later layers.
About 14 thousand B.C. e., while the famous monuments of cave painting were created in Franco-Cantabria (for example, in Lascaux’s cave), Scotland was still covered with glaciers. Due to the more severe climatic conditions, settlements in Scotland arose much later than in Western Europe. The scarce archaeological data of the Upper Paleolithic from Scotland does not allow us to judge how far the development in Scotland during the Holocene climatic optimum matched the development of Europe. Some finds, however, indicate the presence of fairly large and well-organized communities of hunter-gatherers. Mesolithic burials have not yet been found in Scotland.
Neolithic monuments in Scotland indicate a radical break with the old traditions of hunting and gathering. During this period societies with a complex social structure develop. Development is no longer linear, progress in architecture is followed by periods of stagnation and even retreat to the previous level. For example, at the settlement of Bolbraydi to the 21 st. only two analogs were discovered, in Kelso and in the Fort Valley, and all these settlements are completely unlike those that existed in these places earlier, or the later monuments of monumental stone sculptures. Wooden houses of similar size were not created in Scotland until the Anglo-Saxon invasion 4 thousand years later. The famous Neolithic monuments of the Orkney Islands were built almost simultaneously with the emergence of ancient Egyptian culture, more than 500 years before the construction of the pyramid of Cheops and almost a millennium before Stonehenge.
Bronze and Iron Ages
Since the beginning of the Bronze Age and until about 2000 B.C. archaeological evidence indicates a decrease in the number of new large stone structures. Analysis of pollen shows that at this time the forest area expanded due to previously cultivated lands. Now on the Orkney Islands, burials were committed in small cysts (stone boxes) at a considerable distance from the megaliths. A new tradition of bell-shaped cups has spread.
The penetration of bronze and iron metallurgy into Europe from Scotland took a considerable time. This contrasted with the preceding Neolithic, when, on the contrary, Neolithic monumental art spread south from the north of Scotland to the rest of Britain.
As the Bronze Age developed, the population of Scotland, according to one of the hypotheses, reached the level of about 300 thousand people (a very high figure) in the 2nd millennium B.C.
Despite the authoritative links, this figure is very far from reality. Given the “law of permanent population growth,” based on the current population of Scotland, the entire population of the territory of present-day Scotland in the Bronze Age hardly exceeded the figure of 36 thousand people. This is supported both by the insignificant size and great rarefaction of the settlements found by archaeologists, as well as by later historical sources, where the actors operate with tiny numbers.
There are disputes among historians over whether it is legitimate to talk about the appearance of Celtic culture in Scotland around 1000 B.C. at the same time there are unresolved questions about the origin of the local pre-Celtic Pictish civilization and its immediate ancestors.
There were obvious differences between the lifestyle of the various tribes of the Bronze Age who inhabited Scotland. In particular, finds in Traprain Law show that priests in these places conducted ceremonies similar to those held in continental Europe. On the other hand, although mummies were found on the Outer Hebrides in the Treasure Hallan, the local way of life, rather modest, was far from the luxury of Tutankhamen’s court, although the situation of the local people was better than that of the Egyptian slaves who built Amarna at the same time.
Sources:
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Henderson Isabel. Picts Mysterious warriors of ancient Scotland / Trans. from English N. Yu. Chekhonadskaya. – M .: CJSC ” Tsentrpoligraf “, 2004. – 224 pp., Ill. – (Mysteries of ancient civilizations). – 7 000 copies – ISBN 5-9524-1275-0 .
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