Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron AgeAnderson, Joseph
History
Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron Age
Anderson, Joseph
Scotland -- Antiquities
The Broch of Lingrow at the head of the Bay of Scapa, near Kirkwall,
explored by the late Mr. George Petrie, had little of its height
remaining, but was specially remarkable for the number and extent of the
outbuildings clustered round its base. These were not all explored, but
so far as they were laid bare they are shown on the plan (Fig. 220). The
articles found were—a large number of querns, a stone lamp, a number of
quartz pebbles indented on their flat sides by use as [Illustration:
Fig. 221.—Pebble of Quartzite marked by use as a point-sharpener, from
Broch of Lingrow (2½ inches in length).] point-sharpeners (Fig. 221),
like those from the Broch of Kintradwell, a large number of implements
in red-deer horn, one of which is shown (Fig. 222), bone pins and
needles, and long-handled combs, spindle-whorls of stone, some fragments
of bronze, a clay mould (Fig. 223) for casting bronze pins with open
circular heads bearing the same ornamentation, and precisely of the same
form as the pin from Bowermadden (Fig. 203), in Caithness; playing dice
of bone, and a very large quantity of pottery ornamented in various
patterns, but all unglazed, and of the coarse black paste characteristic
of native manufacture. [Illustration: Fig. 222.—Implement of Deer-horn
from Broch of Lingrow (4¼ inches in length).] In different parts of the
outbuildings there were found four silver Roman coins—denarii of the
Empire. Mr. Petrie did not live to draw up a detailed account of the
excavation, and his notes do not indicate the reigns to which the coins
severally belonged.[87] But the occurrence in this Broch of imperial
coins, and in others of the red lustrous ware of late Roman or
Gallo-Roman origin are indications of the occupation of the Brochs
subsequently to the Roman conquest of the southern part of Britain.
[Illustration: Fig. 222.—Implement of Deer-horn from Broch of Lingrow
(4¼ inches in length).]
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Footnote 87:
I am indebted to Mr. James W. Cursiter, Kirkwall, for the extracts
from the _Orcadian_ newspaper in which the finding of these coins was
recorded. A denarius of the reign of Antoninus (Pius ?), is noted in
the issue of Nov. 26, 1870. On Dec. 10, one of Antoninus, and one of
Vespasian, having a sow on the reverse. On Jan. 21, 1871, one of
Hadrian, with Clementina on the reverse, and a female figure holding a
paterá in the extended right hand, and a spear in the left. A jotting
by Mr. Petrie on the rough plan of the Broch also mentions “two coins
of Crispina and bone dice found here.”
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[Illustration: Fig. 223.—Clay Mould for casting Bronze Pins, from Broch
of Lingrow (actual size).]
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