![]() From the Later Prehistoric to Early Historic periods these lands have been drawn towards similar expressions of identity and sequences of settlement development of varying intensity and duration. Though crannogs were certainly a significant feature of the Early Historic period in Scotland, there is as yet no evidence of direct connections to royalty in this period and, based on the currently available evidence, the characterisation of crannogs as high status sites is misguided in the context of their late Bronze and Iron Age origins.ĭetailed scrutiny of the Iron Age settlement archaeology of the Atlantic coastal regions, from Shetland in the north to Brittany in the south, highlights the close connections made possible by the Western Seaways. ![]() It is argued in this book that the stereotypical view of a crannog that has largely been derived from the results of work carried out on Irish crannogs has been misleading in the case of the Scottish sites, tending towards a view of crannogs as high-status strongholds, often as royal seats. Throughout, the primary concern is with contextualisation, considering crannogs within their correct chronological and cultural context through the critical analysis of dating evidence as well as the identification of the relevant ritual and symbolic themes- i.e. The aim is to investigate the ways in which crannogs functioned as settlements, both on a practical, economic as well as a symbolic and socio-cultural level. The focus of this research is on the later prehistoric period, from the earliest constructional origins of western Scotland crannogs in the late Bronze Age through to their apparent emergence as status dwellings in the Early Historic period after the mid first millennium AD. An appendix was created of all nuclear and possible nuclear forts in Perth and Kinross and Fife with a brief discussion on the morphology and possible nuclear qualities It is also suggested that the hillfort types of courtyard forts, citadel forts, and dun with outworks fort should be subcategories of nuclear forts to create a more defined catalogue of Early Medieval hillforts. These five forts are examined and analysed with the six known and excavated nuclear forts of Clatchard Craig, Dundurn, Dunadd, Trusty’s Hill, Mote of Mark, and Burghead, to understand similar characteristics between them. Five case study forts of Perth and Kinross and Fife are evaluated through ArcGIS, the case studies include Norman’s Law, Dunearn, Dummiefarline, Dunsinane Hill, and Barry Hill. The data was created and placed in a Microsoft Access database. The database was created using the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland and Canmore. It creates the first comprehensive database and distribution maps of nuclear hillforts in Scotland. This dissertation is the first detailed definition of these Early Medieval hillforts. ![]() Measures include grazing with cattle, maintaining ditches and open water, and minimising disturbance.Nuclear hillforts, first described by Stevenson (1949), are forts with a central, or citadel enclosure that have a series of outworks looping off the central enclosure creating a descending hierarchy of terraces, producing an organisation of space. To boost their numbers we are converting 1 ha of semi-improved grassland into arable. The 52 ha of saltmarsh on the reserve supports a great variety of ducks and geese. We are working to maintain this area key features, including its grassland, gorse scrub and open water. Grazing helps us maintain suitable ground for these birds, and we will extend this by creating ditches and drains on any newly acquired landĪrable farmland on the reserve provides winter stubble for tree sparrows, reed buntings, linnets and skylarks. We manage our wet grassland for the benefit of wading birds and wildfowl, and aim especially to increase our breeding populations of redshank and lapwing. We are managing this important area by keeping the water high and allowing the peat to begin to regrow. The peat bog, or raised mire, supports breeding curlews and snipe, as well as dragonflies and large heath butterflies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |