Dating a burnt mound from Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland

Around 1600 burnt mounds, comprising heaps of fire cracked stones, up to se veral metres across with characteristic forms, are listed in the National M onuments Records of Scotland, with a diverse distribution. Many more are kn own in other parts of Europe, notably in Ireland and Scandinavia. Tradition ally, these monuments are thought to relate to cooking activities throughou t the Bronze Age though in recent years alternative functions have been sug gested. Here results are presented from Lady Glassery Wood, a recently exca vated site in the Kilmartin Valley. Samples for luminescence dating were co llected in 1998, together with held gamma spectrometry measurements. Associ ated charcoal has also been subjected to radiocarbon dating. Despite and un usually low internal radioactivity from the rock samples examined, and low luminescence sensitivities from separated minerals, it has been possible to obtain concordant luminescence ages from both quartz and feldspars, giving a mean date of 2800 +/- 300 BC. Radiocarbon dating produces a 2 sigma cali brated age range of approximately 2800-2400 cal BC, in agreement with the l uminescence age, indicating a late Neolithic date for the mound, one of a g rowing number of early dates in Scotland. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.