The human story of Mull and Iona begins deep in the past, long before people wrote anything down. Thousands of years ago, huge ice sheets finally melted away from the Hebrides, leaving the land raw, rocky, and scraped clean. As the climate slowly warmed, life returned to the islands. First, hardy plants took root, and then forests of birch and hazel spread across the hills. Animals such as red deer and wild boar moved in among the trees. Finally, around ten thousand years ago, the first people arrived to call these islands home.
These early pioneers did not live in permanent cottages. Instead, they wandered lightly across the land. Archaeologists call this period the Mesolithic. During this time, families moved with the seasons and likely traveled along the rugged coastlines, possibly using small boats. They mastered survival and learned to read the landscape with precision. Moreover, they probably knew when the salmon ran in the rivers and when the hazelnuts were ripe for harvest.
Because they moved constantly, they left very few traces behind. They likely slept in tents made of animal hides or built temporary shelters from brush and wood, which rotted away long ago. To find evidence of their lives, we rely on the small, durable objects they dropped, mostly stone tools that survived for millennia in the soil.
Hunters of the Coast and Forest
Life for these first groups depended entirely on the sea and the forest. The ocean acted as their highway and provided their main source of food. Excavations at Livingstone’s Cave revealed huge piles of waste called middens, which contained over twenty types of mollusc shells. These findings suggest that shellfish formed a major part of their daily diet at this site.
They used small but highly effective tools. They crafted tiny, sharp blades of flint and bloodstone called microliths. Archaeologists found these tools at Creat Dubh near Dervaig, Croig Field, and Tenga, about four kilometers west of Aros. People often fixed these sharp stones into wooden or bone handles with natural resin to make arrows and knives, which helped them clean fish, prepare skins, and complete other daily tasks.
Finding these tools in specific locations paints a vivid picture. Imagine someone standing on the hills near Dervaig or the shores of Aros thousands of years ago, hunting and gathering food for their family just as people might gather mussels or deer today. The abundance of microliths suggests that these areas often hosted hunting parties who repaired their equipment and prepared for the next journey.
Ancient Campfires on Iona
Iona is famous around the world as a holy island and is known for its abbey. However, people were likely present on Iona long before the monastery. Archaeologists have found flint tools on the island, suggesting that it may have been visited by Mesolithic hunters several thousand years ago.
These discoveries hint that people could have sat on the white beaches of Iona, knapping flint into blades and cooking their catch over small fires. The island may have served as a temporary base for fishing in the nearby waters or possibly for hunting seals on the rocky shores. The same sheltered bays that attract tourists today would have offered safety and resources to the very first visitors exploring the Hebrides.
The First Farmers Were Stone Age People
Around four thousand years ago, a major shift occurred. This marked the beginning of the Neolithic, or New Stone Age. People still used stone tools for everything, but their lifestyle changed completely. They stopped wandering and became the first farmers of Mull and Iona.
This transition required immense physical effort. Islanders cleared dense forests to create space for crops and grazing animals. They used axes made of polished stone. Archaeologists have found these heavy stone axe heads at Cillchriosd, Killiemor, Loch Mingary, and Uisken. The tools were ground smooth and attached to sturdy wooden handles to chop down the ancient woods.
Farming allowed people to stay in one place for longer periods. They built permanent timber houses and made pottery to store grain and milk. Archaeologists often find fragments of these clay pots in the soil, sometimes darkened by the fires used to cook porridge or stews. Life became harder in some ways, as people were tied to the soil and harvest, but the population could grow larger than before.
Houses for the Ancestors
With settled farming came a new focus on ancestry and territory. New Stone Age people built the first great stone monuments on Mull. These were not castles for the living but tombs for the dead. The chambered cairn at Port Donian, located two kilometers south of Grasspoint, is a prime example. Although time has worn it down, it was once a large, impressive structure where communities placed the bones of their ancestors.
Building a cairn required dragging heavy slabs of rock and carefully arranging them to create a chamber. This effort suggests that the society was highly organized. People worked together to honor their ancestors and created landmarks that marked the land as their own. A rare macehead found at Ardow also hints at ceremonial life and suggests that leaders or important figures existed within these communities.
Mysterious Marks in Stone
People of this time also left behind strange symbols carved into the living rock. These are known as cup and ring marks. They consist of simple hollows and grooves pecked into stone surfaces. Visitors can see examples near Calgary.
The meaning of these carvings is unknown. Some experts think they were maps of the stars, while others believe they marked territorial boundaries. They might have been purely ritualistic symbols. Whatever their purpose, they provide a direct message from the Stone Age. This form of communication remains visible today, even if the meaning is lost.
A Legacy in the Landscape
The Stone Age ended as people discovered metal and entered the Bronze Age. Yet the legacy of these first islanders surrounds us. They were the first to name hills and bays, even if those names are now lost. They cut paths through the woods and launched the first boats from the shores.
Looking at Mull and Iona today, we see a landscape shaped by these early people. Open fields where sheep now graze were likely cleared first by Neolithic stone axes at Quinish and Loch Peallach. Modern settlements often mirror where they chose to build homes near fresh water and shelter. These early inhabitants laid the foundations for everything that followed, leaving their mark in flint, stone, and the very soil of the islands.
