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Corran (An) [Rock Shelter]

Skye, Staffin, Invernessshire.

Rockshelter. Immediately S of An Corran, on ledge to W of road to Staffin slipway is shell-midden (Patella Vulgata and Littorina Litorea) together with burnt bone. Flint point &chert flake picked from surface. Visited by R Miket, 12 May 1988. NG 491 684. Salvage investigation took place during Dec. 1993 / Jan. 1994 of ledge at base of E-facing cliffs in advance of rock-blasting for road works. Disturbed upper levels contained the remains of numerous hearths & fires but only datable finds were mid 19th-century glass bottle & bronze pin of Early Iron Age type. An underlying shell midden contained very important Mesolithic assemblage of bone & lithic tools, also abundant faunal remains. Radiocarbon determination of 7590 ? 90 BP (OxA-4994) obtained on one of bevel-ended tools, made on red deer bone. Lithic industry, using locally available silicious & basaltic materials, included manufacture of microliths by microburin technique. About one-fifth of rock-shelter deposits examined, but ledge itself preserved despite removal of cliff. Sponsors: Skye & Lochalsh District Council Museums Service, Highland Region Roads Department, NMS. A Saville and R Miket 1994.

Armit, I (1996) The archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles, Edinburgh, pp. 14, 34-6.

Bonsall, C (1997) 'Coastal adaption in the Mesolithic of Argyll. Rethinking the "Obanian Problem" ', in Ritchie, G The archaeology of Argyll Edinburgh, pp 28-29, 32.

Bronk Ramsey, C., Pettitt, P.B., Hedges, R.E.M., Hodgins, G.W.L. and Owen, D.C. (2000) Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry datelist 30. Archaeometry 42: 459-479.

Bronk Ramsey, C. et al. (2009) Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry datelist 33. Archaeometry 51: 323-349.

Finlayson and Edwards, B and K J (2003) 'The Mesolithic', in Edwards, K J and Ralston, I B M Scotland after the Ice Age: environment, archaeology and history 8000BC - AD 1000 Edinburgh, pp 117, 119, 121.

Hellewell, E. (2011) An Corran (Human) Bone Analysis. Unpublished archive report.

Larsson, Kindgren, Knutsson, Loeffler and Akerlund, L, H, K, D and A (2003) Mesolithic on the move: papers presented at the sixth international conference on the mesolithic in Europe, Stockholm 2000, Oxford, pp. 11-19.

Saville and Miket, A and R (1994) 'An Corran, Staffin, Skye (Kilmuir parish): rock-shelter', Discovery Excav Scot, pp 40-1 photograph: fig. 19.

Saville, A. and Miket, R. (1994a) An Corran rock shelter, Skye: a major new Mesolithic site. Past 8: 9-10.

Saville, A. (1998) An Corran, Staffin, Skye. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1998: 126-127.

Saville, A. and Miket, R. (1994b) An Corran, Staffin, Skye (Kilmuir parish): rock shelter. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1994: 40-41.

Saville, A., Hardy, K., Miket, R. and Bjarke Ballin, T. (2012) An Corran, Staffin, Skye. A rockshelter with Mesolithic and later occupation. Scottish Archaeological Internet Report 51. Available at: archaeologydataservice.ac.uk

Wildgoose, M (1988) 'An Choran (Kilmuir parish), shell midden, flints', Discovery Excav Scot, p. 17.

Alternate Names: An Corran Rock Shelter, An Corran Rockshelter