Many of Scotland’s upland landscapes are perceived as empty ‘wildernesses’, a landscape aesthetic maintained by sporting estates across much of the Highlands since the Highland Clearances. Thus, they are considered prime for ecological ‘improvement’ to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. This presentation will explore how archaeology can offer alternative narratives towards our upland landscapes, through the archaeology of Glencoe and Rannoch Moor in the early modern period.

Dr Edward Stewart, Engagement Officer on the Clyde Valley Archaeological Research Framework at Archaeology Scotland, and an Affiliated Researcher at the University of Glasgow, has directed several seasons of surveys and excavations in transhumance landscapes across Scotland, most recently in Glencoe and Rannoch Moor. He has published on the archaeology of these landscapes, and the role archaeologists and historians can play in challenging un-just transitions in the climate crisis debate.’