Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron AgeAnderson, Joseph
History
Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron Age
Anderson, Joseph
Scotland -- Antiquities
The partitions and the inner wall forming the scarcement
were founded on an accumulation of rubbish largely mixed with ashes and
food refuse, which covered the original floor of the Broch to the depth
of 12 to 14 inches. They were therefore clearly secondary constructions,
made to adapt the Broch to the purposes of a secondary occupation.
Outside the Broch wall are two long irregularly-shaped enclosures, and
several smaller cells. The outer enclosure (D in plan, Fig. 194) is 100
feet in length, and varies in width from 6 to 20 feet. The length of the
inner enclosure (C) is 70 feet, and its width about 12 feet. They have
each a little cell, provided with door checks opening off them. In some
places their walls remained entire to the height of 10 feet, without
showing any sign of overlapping for a roof. Both these large oblong
enclosures had irregular rows of long slabs set on end in their floors,
as if to divide them into cattle stalls. A long covered way (A) leading
to the entrance of the Broch traversed the N.E. end of these enclosures.
It varied from about 3 feet wide at the door of the Broch to about 5
feet wide at the outer end, and had checks for doors at four different
places in its length. The secondary character of all these exterior
constructions was obvious from the fact that underneath their
foundations there was a considerable depth of stones overlying the
original soil, and mingled with ashes and food refuse. It was also
evident that various occupations of the interior of the Broch had taken
place from time to time, when the original floor had become covered with
rubbish to a considerable depth. Partition walls were met with at three
different levels, dividing the internal area on three different plans;
the last being a partial partition, utilising only one side of the area,
at a time when the original floor had become covered with 8 feet of
stones and rubbish. The relics obtained in the course of the excavation
were few in number compared with the size and apparent importance of the
structure. No querns were found, but about a dozen grain rubbers and
stones hollowed like mortars, large numbers of stone pestles, pounders,
or hammer-stones, abraded at the ends by use; several whetstones (Figs.
198, 199), a large number of thin circular discs of slaty sandstone,
from 2½ inches up to 14 or 15 inches in diameter, many stone balls 2½ to
3 inches diameter, a small rounded pebble of quartz, with a hole through
it, a number of spindle-whorls of stone, and one of burnt clay. The
objects in metal were a ring of bronze, half an inch in diameter, an
armlet of bronze (Fig. 200), made of a wire 1⁄16-inch in diameter,
square for half its length, and twisted so that the corners form a
spiral pattern, the other half being the plain round wire. A few
fragments of iron knives, and some indeterminate objects of small size,
greatly corroded, were all the remains of iron implements that were
found.
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