The Lorn Archaeological and Historical Society were delighted to welcome Dr Alison Sheridan, principle curator and head of Early Scottish Prehistory and Archaeology at the National Museum of Scotland to speak to them at their February meeting. Specialising in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain and Ireland, Dr Sheridan treated the society and guests to a fascinating presentation on the Early Farmers of the West of Scotland.
She spoke to a packed meeting about a period covering around 4000-1500 BC, starting with hunter gatherers, who moved north with the melting of the ice sheet leaving behind flint tools. She described evidence of Neolithic farmers represented by their axes and chambered cairns, and Bronze Age activity seen through their exotic jewellery and pottery.
She focused on the movement of people, goods and ideas, showing similarities of design in the monuments and pottery over wide areas of Europe, suggesting some people made their way up the western seaboard from Northern France.