Early carboniferous brachiopod faunas from the Baoshan block, west Yunnan, southwest China

38 brachiopod species in 27 genera and subgenera are described from the Yudong Formation in the Shidian-Baoshan area, west Yunnan, southwest China. New taxa include two new subgenera: Unispirifer (Septimispirifer) and Brachythyrina (Longathyrina), and seven new species: Eomarginifera yunnanensis, Marginatia cylindrica, Unispirifer (Unispirifer) xiangshanensis, Unispirifer (Septimispirifer) wafangjieensis, Brachythyrina (Brachythyrina) transversa, Brachythyrina (Longathyrina) baoshanensis, and Girtyella wafangjieensis. Based on the described material and constraints from associated coral and conodont faunas, the age of the brachiopod fauna from the Yudon Formation is considered late Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous), with a possibility extending into earlyViseacutean.<br /

Excavations at Northton, Western Isles of Scotland, 2010; Data Structure Report

A Mesolithic human presence in the Outer Hebrides has long been postulated by palynologists but archaeological evidence for this period has, until recently, eluded discovery by archaeologists. The discovery of the first radiocarbon-dated Mesolithic deposits in the Western Isles at Northton, Harris in 2001 was therefore of considerable international research significance. Unfortunately, the site is rapidly being destroyed by coastal erosion. Consequently, a small-scale excavation of the Mesolithic horizon was undertaken in 2010 to establish the nature of the deposits and to undertake detailed environmental sampling before the site is destroyed. The excavated area of the Mesolithic deposit was 100% sampled and flotation for plant and animal remains was undertaken. No archaeological features were detected, but a sizeable assemblage of Mesolithic lithics, charcoal, carbonised plant macrofossils and fish bones was uncovered. It is proposed that this layer is a buried land surface that incorporates a palimpsest of disturbed and bioturbated hearth deposits containing fuel remnants and food waste

Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic carbonised remains in riverine deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

This paper presents the results of a palaeoenvironmental investigation of riverine deposits containing charred heathland plant material, recovered during an archaeological survey of Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland. This survey was conducted to identify Mesolithic occupation in the interior of the island and was undertaken as part of a wider project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles. The recovery of carbonised material of Mesolithic date is discussed in light of the long-standing debate on detecting hunter-gatherer impact on environments using palaeoenvironmental records. The findings are compared to regional pollen sequences, where peaks in micro-charcoal levels and associated reductions in arboreal pollen are interpreted as evidence for anthropogenic fire ecology. These have been identified in areas where archaeological evidence for human occupation is absent. It is argued that this site reflects deliberate burning of vegetation by humans, most likely a small hearth, and therefore represents the first direct inferred evidence for the Mesolithic in the interior of the Western Isles

The earliest farming in Britain : towards a new synthesis

In this contribution we review previous understandings of the earliest farming in Britain, and then bring together various recent lines of evidence. We will argue that new findings go some considerable way towards resolving the debates of previous decades, and allow us to come to a firmer view of the earliest farming than has hitherto been possible