The chronology of anthropogenic soil formation in Orkney

Simpson, Ian A.

doi:10.1080/00369229318736870

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The relatively large amount of organic carbon present in the sur®cial layers around Mound 4 (0±5 cm) and Mound 11 (0±5 cm) is most likely the result of contributions from modern-day¯ora and fauna. Whilst the narrower range of TOC levels exhibited by all samples deeper than 40 cm indicates a relatively uniform composition of material deposited over time, the low levels of organic matter being consistent with an input of mineral topsoils (Davidson et al, 1986;Simpson, 1993).…”

Section: General Organic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic geochemical evidence for the origin of ancient anthropogenic soil deposits at Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney

Bull

Simpson

Dockrill

et al. 1999

Organic Geochemistry

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Lipid biomarker components of soils constituting three Orcadian archaeological fossil soil pro®les were analysed. The combined assessment of lipid distributional and compound speci®c stable carbon isotope data enabled the identi®cation of grass turves as the most probable material used in the formation of the anthropogenic soil deposits. Appraisal of 5b-stanol components indicated a faecal input to one of the soils which, on considering distributional evidence, was ascribed a human/porcine origin. Additional study of polar bile acids from this pro®le revealed a distribution exhibiting a predominance of deoxycholic acid indicating the primary faecal input to be mainly derived from humans although the minor occurrence of hyodeoxycholic acid, a characteristic component of pig faeces, attested to a limited porcine input. #

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Section: General Organic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic geochemical evidence for the origin of ancient anthropogenic soil deposits at Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney

Bull

Simpson

Dockrill

et al. 1999

Organic Geochemistry

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“…Plaggen soils also occur in Scotland (Davidson and Simpson, 1984;Davidson and Carter, 1998), and place name evidence, radiocarbon dating, and soil analysis in the Northern Isles have suggested that the system dates back to at least as early as the late Norse period (12th-13th century; Simpson, 1993). The plaggen system in Shetland was used on the more remote islands until the 1960s, and the soils created by this system have characteristics similar to the plaggen soils in Germany and the Netherlands: The soils reach depths of over 1 m and the phosphate levels are markedly enhanced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The management of arable land from prehistory to the present: Case studies from the Northern Isles of Scotland

et al. 2005

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The arable soils from two multiperiod settlements were analyzed to identify changes in agricultural methods over time. The settlement middens were also analyzed to determine whether potential fertilizers were discarded unused. Results suggest that in the Neolithic period (~4000-2000 B.C. in the UK) the arable soils at Tofts Ness, Orkney, and Old Scatness, Shetland, were created by flattening and cultivating the settlements' midden heaps in situ. The arable area at Tofts Ness was expanded in the Bronze Age (~2000-700 B.C. in the UK), and the new land was improved by the addition of ash, nightsoil, and domestic waste. Cultivation continued briefly after the fields were buried in windblown sand in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, but by the Early Iron Age cultivation ceased and organic-rich material was allowed to accumulate within the settlement. By contrast, at Old Scatness, arable production was increased in the Iron Age (~700 B.C.-A.D. 550 in Scotland) by the intensive use of animal manures. The results indicate that during the lifespan of the two settlements the arable soils were fertilized to increase production, which was intensified over time.

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“…These soils were created by the stripping of turf from the hill-land areas, using it as bedding in byres, and composting it with ruminant and pig manure and seaweed prior to deposition on continuously and intensively cultivated areas (Simpson, 1993(Simpson, , 1997Davidson and Carter, 1998;Simpson et al, 1999). The development of such deep soils, therefore, requires careful integration of animal and arable husbandry and indicates a wellorganized agricultural community with well-defined land-use structures.…”

Section: Raised Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpreting the Viking Age to Medieval period transition in Norse Orkney through cultural soil and sediment analyses

2005

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The transition from the Viking Age (ca. A.D. 800-1050) to the Medieval period (ca. A.D. 1050-1500) saw the development of widening trade activities that incorporated peripheral North Atlantic polities into mainstream Europe and contributed to the intensification of marineresource exploitation and agricultural production in these localities. As yet, there is only limited understanding of these intensification processes and their interrelationships, particularly at a local, site-based level. Through the micromorphological analysis of cultural soils and sediments at Quoygrew, Westray, Orkney, we explore the characteristics of farming and fishing activity during the Viking Age-Medieval transition period and establish their chronological relationships. The study demonstrates: (1) that intensification took place from ca. A.D. 966-1162 on an already existing Viking Age settlement, (2) that intensification of fishing activity occurred prior to the intensification of arable agriculture, and (3) that the Quoygrew site continued throughout this period as an economically diverse permanent settlement. When viewed in a wider North Atlantic context, these findings indicate that intensification of different economic activities proceeded at different rates and that intensification of specialized economic activities during the transition from the Viking Age to the Medieval period was dependent on existing knowledge of local environments.

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The chronology of anthropogenic soil formation in Orkney

Cited by 26 publications

References 21 publications

Organic geochemical evidence for the origin of ancient anthropogenic soil deposits at Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney

Organic geochemical evidence for the origin of ancient anthropogenic soil deposits at Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney

The management of arable land from prehistory to the present: Case studies from the Northern Isles of Scotland

Interpreting the Viking Age to Medieval period transition in Norse Orkney through cultural soil and sediment analyses

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