Staffa’s past signatures.
Uncovering the hidden human history of a celebrated Scottish island

Alexander, Derek; Rhodes, Daniel; Jeffrey, Stuart; Jones, Sian; Poller, Tessa

Staffa’s past signatures. Uncovering the hidden human history of a celebrated Scottish island

Output Details

Alexander, Derek, Rhodes, Daniel, Jeffrey, Stuart, Jones, Sian and Poller, Tessa (2026) Staffa’s past signatures. Uncovering the hidden human history of a celebrated Scottish island. Current Archaeology, 439 (439). ISSN 0011-3212
[Article]

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Staffa's past signatures - Uncovering the hidden human history of a celebrated Scottish island

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Creators/Authors:

Alexander, Derek, Rhodes, Daniel, Jeffrey, Stuart, Jones, Sian and Poller, Tessa

Abstract:

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the island of Staffa coming into the care of the National Trust for Scotland. Famed for its dramatic cliffs, caves, and black basalt columns, this picturesque portion of the Inner Hebrides has been a subject of scientific and artistic fascination – and a popular tourist destination – for centuries. Recent fieldwork has added to this picture, uncovering evidence of repeated visits, cultivation, and occupation stretching back to the post-medieval period, as well as unexpected echoes of even earlier activity dating to the Bronze Age, as our cover feature reports.

Official URL:

https://archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/staffas-past-signatures.htm

Additional Information:

KV emailed SJ on 07.09.2026 to request AAM. KV also asked SJ to email the editor of Current Archaeology to request permission to share the AAM via RADAR. Only an extract of the article is freely available to read online. The full version of the article is available via The Past, a subscription access journal.

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Heritage Archaeology Staffa Historic Grafitti

School/Academic Area:

School of Innovation and Technology

Dates:

Date

Date Type

3 September 2026

Published

24 August 2026

Accepted

Status:

Published

Funders:

National Trust for Scotland, Glasgow School of Art, Society of Antiqueries of Scotland

Related URLs:

Projects:

Historic Archaeoloy Research Project, Staffa (HARPS)

Output Type:

Article

Output ID:

11000

Date Deposited:

08 Sep 2026 12:29

Last Modified:

08 Sep 2026 12:29

Deposited By:

Stuart Jeffrey

Staff Profiles

Stuart Jeffrey

Professor of Digital Heritage

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