In the Beginning

In the Beginning

The story of the people who lived in what would be Scotland begins in the Northern Isles. There is evidence of human habitation there as far back as c. 8000-7000 B.C. Little is known of these early Stone Age people, but it is thought that they migrated from the Low Countries of Europe. They were not settlers as such, although they did reside in small family groups or communities. They were nomadic hunters-gatherers and established temporary camps where they could spend the colder periods. Then, during the warmer months, they struck out on hunting and gathering sorties.

The first settlers of mainland Scotland, arriving at the onset of the postglacial period (as early as 7000 B.C.), found that the best access to the interior was provided by estuaries and rivers, with the Forth being among the most important. Its shoreline and mudflats show evidence of Stone Age explorers, who did not yet need the protection of the region's steep hills.

Around 5000 B.C., the Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic) people appeared on the scene. These nomadic people lived in caves or rough shelters and used stone implements. They ate what they could find or catch: deer, eggs, berries, nuts and often shell-fish. Some of their village sites contain millions of shells. Beyond the coasts forests covered much of the land, so they traveled by boat as journeys by foot would have been slow, difficult, and often dangerous.

Sometime around 4000 B.C., the New Stone Age (Neolithic) people from the eastern Mediterranean area reached Scotland. They may have also emigrated from The Danube Valley and parts of the Ukraine. They settled and made their homes along the western coast, in the Forth and Clyde estuaries, as well as in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. They were farmers who understood how to grow crops such as wheat and barley, and they knew about rearing domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. This new way of life involved clearing some of the land. These new settlers were also hunters and fishermen. They fished in the sea, in the rivers and in the lochs. They used stone and flint tools, utensils and weapons, and they were skilled at making simple forms of pottery, which they decorated with grooved patterns. Their settlements have left little or no trace – other than a few caves – except in Orkney where remains of early Neolithic stone houses can still be seen.  

About 2500-2000 B.C., the Beaker People, so called from the shape of their drinking vessels, reached Britain and northeast Scotland. It is thought that they may have been some of the earliest to bury their dead in individual graves. They were farmers, and settled where there was cultivatable land. They were accomplished archers as well, wearing stone wrist guards to protect their arms from the sting of the bowstring. They were also the first metal smiths in Britain. They were pioneers in metal working, first in copper and gold, and later in bronze which gave its name to this era. They made their own pottery, and eventually the first woven garments in Britain. They also seem to have introduced the first known alcoholic drink into Britain, a form of honey-based mead. The islands have never been the same since.

The Bronze Age began in Scotland about 2300 B.C., when new invaders arrived from the North Sea area. They introduced swords, knives, chisels, buckles, cauldrons and buckets, all evidence of a high level of civilization and creature comfort that would be enhanced by the metal craft of the subsequent Iron Age. These people lived in round houses, which now only survive as hut circles, or indentations, in the ground. The walls were either of sod or stone, and a wooden post held up a thatched roof. A central hearth contained a fire for cooking and warmth. Remains of their farm systems survive, as wells as the piles of stones they removed to clear their fields for cultivation.