The SEARCH (Sheffield Environmental and Archaeological Research Campaign
in the Hebrides) project began in 1987 and covers the Scotland's Outer
Hebrides. The aim of the project is to investigate how human societies
adapted in the long-term to the isolated environment of the Outer
Hebrides.
The first major excavation on South Uist discovered that what was
thought to be a shell midden at Cill Donnain was in fact a wheelhouse, a
type of dwelling used in the period c.300 BC - AD 500; under which lay
the remains of a Bronze Age settlement. This settlement was partly
investigated by Marik Zvelebil in 1991 and then later by Mike Parker
Pearson and Kate MacDonald in 2003. The site itself is situated at the
foot of a high steep-sided dune on the eastern edge of a large sand
valley, close to the western shore of Loch Cill Donnain.
The archaeological report of the excavation at the Cill Donnain
wheelhouse shows that, in comparison with contemporary neighbouring
settlements, it was unlikely that each was an independent unit and that
they were linked by social and economic interdependency. The wheelhouse
thus provides striking new evidence that contributes to developing
theories about the social, material and economic life in the period.
This volume presents the extensive archaeological evidence found at the
site, including pottery, faunal remains and a variety of bone and metal
tools, illustrating that the Cill Donnain landscape is rich in
archaeological sites of all periods from the Beaker to the
post-Medieval.
Oxbow Books gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Historic
Scotland towards the publication costs.
