From about 8,000 BC the first people came to Scotland from Europe in what archaeologists call the Mesolithic period. These were the hunter-gatherers: nomads who lived in temporary camps, hunted animals like deer and fish, and lived off the plentiful supplies of fruits and berries found in the forests

The earliest people, Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) hunters and fishermen who probably reached Scotland via an ancient land bridge from the Continent, were to be found on the west coast, near Oban, and as far south as Kirkcudbright, where their settlements are marked by large deposits of discarded mollusk shells.

The first known settlements in Scotland were Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer encampments, with a notable site near Biggar dating to around 12000 BCE. These early inhabitants were highly mobile, boat-using people who crafted tools from bone, stone, and antlers.