Paper short abstract:

This paper addresses the concept of -scape as applied to islands, considering what constitutes an island-scape and whether the concept is universally valid and useful, using studies of the past inhabitation of particular islands in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland.

Paper long abstract:

The study of island-scapes could seem at first glance to be well-defined and straightforward, given their natural boundedness. However, this is not the case, as the high level of consideration given to the topic in archaeological discourse attests. Islands have always had changing boundaries, at some times impermeable and at other times metaphorically as well as literally fluid. The changing boundaries of islands have implications for their degrees of isolation and interaction at different points in time, and therefore for how far the visual and conceptual horizon extends in the experiences of those inhabiting them. This paper will consider aspects of the concept of island-scape, using studies of the past inhabitation of particular islands in the Western Isles and Northern Isles of Scotland to examine what constitutes an island-scape and whether the concept is universally valid and useful. It will also consider possible applications of the concept beyond the visual to enhance interpretations of island-scapes. Finally, it will examine what contemporary perspectives archaeologists (both mainland- and island-based) bring to their attempts to understand the inhabitation of islands.