Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, unearthing ancient stone tools that provide new insights into Scotland's earliest known inhabitants. Dated between 11,500 and 11,000 years ago, these tools originate from the Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) period, demonstrating that early humans ventured further north than previously believed.
The research, spearheaded by Professor Karen Hardy from the University of Glasgow and the late archaeologist Martin Wildgoose, marks the largest concentration of evidence for early human presence along Scotland's west coast. The findings were published in *The Journal of Quaternary Science*, highlighting the collaboration of researchers from the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, Leeds Beckett, and Flinders in Australia, who reconstructed the region's ancient sea levels and landscapes.
These nomadic hunter-gatherers, likely belonging to the Ahrensburgian culture of northern Europe, navigated across Doggerland (now submerged under the North Sea) to reach Britain and eventually the Isle of Skye. Professor Hardy describes this migration as “the ultimate adventure story,” noting the settlers' strategic selection of locations with access to coastal and river resources, as well as valuable materials like ochre.