Isle of Skye Broch Baggers: Skye Brochs

Sunday, 7 May 2017

Dun Ardtreck

Dun Ardretreck will be a fascinating place to visit. It was excavated in 1964-65 by Euan Mackie who described it as a semi broch. The idea that this type of structure was a protoype broch had been suggested in 1928 by RCAHMS.

Dun Ardteck U3A walk October 2012

Euan Mackie originally believed such structures were the immediate predecessors of the brochs and this provided evidence that broch construction emanated from Skye. The excavation was planned to test this hypothesis.

From Macsween

Ian Armitt does not support this view and considers Adreck as a variant within the complex roundhouse class[1] showing elements of broch architecture but never planned to be a tower like structure.

Euan Mackie considers that the Dun was constructed in perhaps the second or third century BC and was in us, not necessarily continuously, until the sixth or seventh century AD. Carbon particles found in the excavation were carbon dated to between 170 BC to 110 AD. This was however, done when carbon dating was in its infancy

The Dun was constructed on a rubble platform, presumably laid to create a level area on the rocky knoll on which the Dun stands. Mackie assumes there were at least two upper galleries and that the original height of the wall would have been around 5-6m.

The entrance was 3m long and paved with flat slabs and pebbles. Traces of bar hole and socket were seen being the upright stone slabs which formed the door checks.

This is the abstract from the excavation report – which was not published until 2000 – 35 years after the excavation took place!!!

From:

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_130/130_301_411.pdf (retrieved 5/5/17)[2]

picture of one of the fascinating finds from phase 2 occupation - copied from Euan Mackie's report (2) below.

References:

[1] Armit, I. (1996) The archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles. Edinburgh. Page(s): 118

[2] https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_130/130_301_411.pdf (retrieved 5/5/17)

MacSween, A 1985 The Brochs, Duns and Enclosures of Skye. Northern Archaeology Group: Newcastle (= Northern Archaeology 5/6).

Friday, 17 March 2017

Dun Colbost revisisted


Broch entrance and outer wall

Plan by Swanson

Directions and Access:
NG 2055 4947

The broch is situated on Colbost Common Grazings, on a rocky knoll above the Dunvegan to Glendale Road.

There is room to park a car at a small quarry (approximate grid reference NG 2023 4964) or at the layby opposite Skye Silver. A track leads up the hill from the quarry. As the track ends, the broch comes into view and is reached by crossing boggy moorland. Approximately 10 minutes walk.

The Broch

In the original RCAHMS description of Dun Colbost (1904) no entrance was visible but they believed “it was probably in the west”. The broch was described as being in “poor condition”. Nevertheless, subsequent excavations have revealed tantalising but inconclusive information hinting at a more sophisticated structure. Glendale Trust is currently investigating the possibility of obtaining funding for a more in depth excavation.

An excavation, carried out in 1989, exposed the entrance to the broch as well as interesting evidence of a cobbled area outside the broch.

The entrance itself is obscured by a "danger" sign

Camera inserted behind danger sign

Further excavation in 1990 added little knowledge but in 1994, the area between the broch wall and the outer “perimeter “ wall revealed evidence of stone paving, covered drains, and a hearth.

Curiously there seems to be no entrance in the outer wall which corresponds to the broch entrance.

There is a terrace south of the entrance which is mentioned in the brief description of 1990 excavation but no suggestion is offered as to its purpose. In a modern house, it would make a lovely flower bed!

Possibly lintel over intra mural gallery in East

The inside of the broch is full of tumbled stones and it is difficult to see much evidence of the mural gallery mentioned on canmore and no scarcement can be seen.

There appears to be a very small structure inside the broch just north of the entrance – perhaps a sheiling or bothy created after the broch had been destroyed.