Archaeological collections from sandhill sites in the Isle of Coll, Argyll & Bute

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, large collections of surface finds have been retrieved from erosion areas within the sandhills on the Argyll island of Coll. A selection of these finds has been catalogued and illustrated to draw attention to the range of evidence that is available, including material representative of virtually all periods from the Mesolithic to the recent past. There is a brief discussion of the contribution that this fieldwork has made to understanding of the development of settlement on Coll. Together with the archaeological Inventory (RCAHMS 1980), it is hoped that the results of this field prospection will be the catalyst for future archaeological work on the island. There are notes on: `The lithic collections' by Bill Finlayson (495--6); `The pottery collections' by Alan Lane & Trevor Cowie (496--502); `Copper alloy metalwork' by John Crawford & Trevor Cowie (502--3); `The cannel coal bead from Feall' by Alison Sheridan (504); and finally a `General discussion' by Trevor Cowie (505--9).