Statement of National Importance
The national importance of the monument is demonstrated in the following way(s) (see Designations Policy and Selection Guidance, Annex 1, para 17):
a. The monument is of national importance because it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past, or has the potential to do so, as a focal point for coastal Mesolithic activity and a location which is reused in later prehistoric and historic periods.
b. The monument retains physical attributes which make a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past. It is a natural rock overhang and surrounding area that was the focus of significant activity in the Mesolithic and later prehistoric periods. This activity is evidenced by the partial recovery of a varied and relatively dense archaeological assemblage from these periods.
c. The monument is a particularly good example of an area of concentrated Mesolithic activity – a coastal location and natural rock overhang, typical of the places and natural features exploited by Mesolithic communities. It is part of a wider local production area where the results and waste products of processing natural materials survive. It is therefore an important representative example of concentrated Mesolithic activity of Scotland, not least for the visibility of a range of tools and techniques demonstrated by the assemblage and notably the presence of a relatively uncommon lithic scatter.
d. The monument has archaeological and scientific research potential which could significantly contribute to our understanding or appreciation of the past. This specifically relates to how Mesolithic communities exploited their coastal environment and natural resources found there, and the tools, techniques, technologies and processes they used to process these resources. It can also help us understand how such sites were exploited in later periods, in this case during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages.
e. The monument makes a significant contribution to today's landscape and/or our understanding of the historic landscape. It is a naturally occurring, sheltered coastal position with a rock overhang and adjoining terrace. It demonstrates the natural features and locations favoured by Mesolithic communities - providing shelter, easy access to the coast and its resources, and the proximity to seaways connecting adjoining coasts and islands.
Assessment of Cultural Significance
This statement of national importance has been informed by the following assessment of cultural significance:
Intrinsic characteristics (how the remains of a site or place contribute to our knowledge of the past)
The monument provides evidence of Mesolithic and later activity, consisting of a concentration of buried deposits and artefacts, spread along and around a naturally formed rock overhang/shelter. The archaeological deposits result from the working of raw materials to produce tools, foodstuffs and from other associated activities. archaeological investigation of the area in 1999 and 2000 identified several middens and a rich assemblage of archaeological deposits and artefact. Mesolithic activity is represented by the presence of concentrations of shells, microliths, bone and antler tools. The bone tools have been radiocarbon dated to the mid 6th millennium BC. Later occupation of the site is indicated by a polished stone axe (possibly early Neolithic), flint projectiles (possibly Bronze Age), human incisor, glass beads and iron slag (possibly Iron Age) as well as pottery and glass sherds. The overall assemblage includes products and waste from processing materials - limpet shells, organic remains, scatters of over 450 lithic items including microliths and flakes, fire-cracked rocks, stone cores and pebbles.
The concentration of archaeological deposits and artefacts represents significant periods of activity taking place here from the Mesolithic period onwards. The recovery of over 500 artefacts during selective excavation points to a high archaeological potential in the remaining undisturbed soils. This evidence can help us understand much about the nature of life in early prehistory and how groups gathered in a coastal location to undertake communal activity such as food processing. It can also help us understand how such sites were exploited in later periods, in this case during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages. The coastal location and absence of structural evidence for buildings points to the characteristics of early prehistoric community activity here - the exploitation of natural landforms and geological features as focal points for such activity along the coast. The coastal location offers an opportunity to study coastal processes, climate and prevailing environmental conditions and change, when and since the rock shelter and terrace were occupied.
Contextual characteristics (how a site or place relates to its surroundings and/or to our existing knowledge of the past)
There are well over 200 recorded examples of rock shelters in the National Record of the Historic Environment, distributed along the harder geological areas of Scotland – the west coast and with significant local clusters in Argyll, the Outer Hebrides and more locally to this site, along the Shieldaig peninsula and the opposing Raasay and Rona coastlines. The Inner Sound and neighbouring sealochs contain over 80 recorded examples, where intensive study of Mesolithic activity has taken place (such as through the 'Scotland's First Settlers project'). There are also over 600 recorded examples of middens in the National Record of the Historic Environment, distributed predominantly along most of Scotland's coastline and representing activity across a wide range of prehistoric and historic periods.
This example is located above a natural coastal bay, known as 'Sand', where there are three other, broadly contemporary sites with evidence for Mesolithic activity (CANMORE References: 157988, 192292, 192295). It is significant because of the variety of activities that took place here, evidenced in the relatively dense assemblage of materials from food production and tool manufacture and the accumulated waste. In this regard the monument is an important representative example of the deliberate exploitation of coastal features and natural resources in a specific location, from the Mesolithic period onwards.
Predominant views from the site are southwestwards, across the Inner Sound and overlooking the east coasts of Raasay, Scalpay and Skye where other areas of Mesolithic activity have been found. The location chosen here provides for easy access to coastal routes North and South and, as the research project 'Scotland's First Settlers' has indicated, an ability to exploit the sea as communication routes using the Inner Sound and to islands such as Skye and Raasay. This highlights the monument as a component of a broader network of contemporary Mesolithic locations.
Associative characteristics (how a site or place relates to people, events, and/or historic and social movements)
There are no known associative characteristics for the monument.