VI.—Vegetational Change, Shoreline Displacement and the Human Factor in the Late Quaternary History of South-West Scotland

Abstract

SynopsisPalynological investigations were made at two sites in south-west Scotland where peat bogs overlying late Quaternary marine clays and sands were dated by reference to the established British pollen zonation. The “25 foot” shoreline was formed during late Zone VI and early VIIa near Dumfries (c. 8100 to 6600 years B.P.), while the “50 foot” beach near Campbeltown has been referred to Zone III (ending c. 10,000 years B.P.). Close-interval analysis of the upper sections of the pollen diagrams has allowed the recognition of human interference with the vegetation. Minor short-term changes in Zone VI have been tentatively referred to Mesolithic activities, while from Neolithic times (Zone VIIb) onwards there is evidence for an increasingly effective modification of the natural environment. The pollen diagrams allow some conclusions to be drawn about the types of farming (including cereal cultivation) which were characteristic of the settlements near Dumfries and in south Kintyre.