Palaeoenvironmental investigations into the human-environmental interactions of prehistoric communities around loch of Stenness, Orkney

Abstract

This palaeoenvironmental study explores the interactions of prehistoric communities with natural environments within the Heart of Neolithic Orkney (HONO), by analysing sediment sequences from the Loch of Stenness. This study focuses on the Mesolithic (10000 cal BC to 4100 cal BC) and Neolithic (4100-2500 cal BC) periods. Research uses pollen, and unique to this study (for the Stenness area), non-pollen palynomorph and microscopic charcoal analyses, to reconstruct changes in vegetation, environment, and water quality, in and around the Loch of Stenness. Mesolithic and Neolithic communities’ impacts on their landscapes are compared/contrasted and used to contextualise surrounding archaeological features, including the Ness of Brodgar (3600-2500 cal BC) and other monuments within the HONO (3000-2000 cal BC). Early Orcadian human activity is suggested through microscopic charcoal peaks and vegetative disturbance during the Mesolithic period. Mesolithic environmental interaction is shown to be light and impermanent, contrasting starkly with the long-lasting transformative impact of Neolithic communities, which began at the end of the fifth millennium cal BC. Initial Neolithic settlement is associated with potential eutrophication of the loch waters, increased microscopic charcoal, periods of woodland decline and increased pastoral activity - which likely inhibited woodland regeneration resulting in significant long term woodland loss. The first arable activity in the landscape surrounding Loch of Stenness is shown through the appearance of cereal pollen in the Early Neolithic, increasing in intensity across the period and potentially climaxing in the Early Bronze Age, when pastoral activity seems less intensive, and settlement possibly decreases within the Stenness area. Recommendations for further study include additional dating and increased sample resolution of the existing cores, along with supplementary environmental proxies such as SedaDNA and diatom analyses, to allow more accurate contextualisation of this present research.

Date of Award	14 Nov 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of the Highlands and Islands
Supervisor	Scott Timpany (Supervisor)