University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute
Throughout north-western Europe, Iron Age communities show a consistent tendency to avoid consuming fish. By extension, marine molluscs are assumed to be avoided as well, although their study has often been ignored despite their considerable potential to investigate human resource use. Within Scotland, these assumptions are starting to be questioned as more sites have produced marine mollusc remains in recent years. My research aims to explore the potential of the archaeomalacological resource, investigating various uses for both the animals and their shells, and providing a much-needed reassessment of the relationship between people and the sea in the Scottish Iron Age.
