Ythan Estuary - Archaeology

Archaeology

Prehistoric man had settlements in coastal estuaries along the northeast Scottish coast including the nearby River Don Estuary and the Ythan Estuary. Studies date the lithics recovered at least as early as 7000 BC, with most of the artefacts from the Ythan mouth area deriving from the Sands of Forvie. Most of the large collection of lithics was retrieved in the period 1994-2001 from a deflation surface within this active dune system. The excavations revealed the survival of superimposed land surfaces, whose layers revealed hearth structures and other characteristic mesolithic artefacts. While no Viking artefacts have been recovered here, the reader should note that not many kilometres north along the coast is the only place name associated with Viking landings, Saint Olaf at Cruden Bay.