Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron AgeAnderson, Joseph
History
Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron Age
Anderson, Joseph
Scotland -- Antiquities
The Broch that has yielded the largest and most interesting collection
of objects is that of Burrian in the island of North Ronaldsay,
excavated by Dr. William Traill of Woodwick, the proprietor of the
island. The structure was essentially similar to those that have been
previously described. The wall of the tower was 15 feet thick at the
base, enclosing an area of 30 feet in diameter. The greatest height of
the wall remaining was 10 feet. The doorway was on the south-east side
facing the sea. It was 3 feet 3 inches wide at the outer face of the
wall, and had checks for a door consisting of two slabs projecting on
either side of the passage so as to narrow the aperture to 2 feet 10
inches. Within the door-checks the passage widened to 4 feet 3 inches.
There was but one chamber in the thickness of the wall on the north-east
side of the tower. It measured 9 feet 9 inches by 5 feet 9 inches on the
floor, and was about 5 feet high, the roof having fallen in. The
entrance from the interior court to the chamber was 3 feet 3 inches
high, and 2 feet 2 inches wide. [Illustration: Fig. 224.—Bone Implement
from Broch of Burrian (5½ inches in length).] The objects found in the
course of the excavations consisted of a large number of hammer-stones
or oblong water-worn pebbles wasted at the ends by use, a number of
querns and grain-rubbers, sinkstones, pieces of black vesicular lava,
roughly pear-shaped, with holes bored through their smaller ends, and
circular discs of thin slaty stone of various sizes. [Illustration: Fig.
225.—Bone Pins, with ornamental heads, from Broch of Burrian (actual
size).] Among the objects made of bone, which were exceptionally
numerous, were an implement of bone 5½ inches in length (Fig. 224), made
from the radius or wing-bone of a bird by cutting it obliquely across at
one end, and grinding the section smooth; ninety pins of bone varying in
size from 4¾ inches to somewhat less than 1¼ inch in length, many of
which have ornamental heads of the character shown in Fig. 225, while
others of larger size are of the forms shown in Fig. 226, a large number
are crutch-headed like Fig. 227, while one neatly-made pin with a
rounded body (Fig. 228) is [Illustration: Fig. 226.—Bone Pins from Broch
of Burrian (actual size).] cleverly ornamented by its head being carved
in the similitude of two horses’ heads looking opposite ways,
and another coarsely-made pin without a head (Fig. <span
class='htmlonly'>229</span><span class='epubonly'>229</span>) is marked
with transverse scorings. [Illustration: Fig. 227.—Crutch-headed Bone
Pin from Broch of Burrian (actual size).] Besides the pins there are
three needles of bone with elongated eyes, one broken, the others (Figs.
230, 231) 2¼ and 1¾ inches in length respectively. [Illustration: Figs.
228, 229.—Bone Pin with ornamental head, and pin with transverse
markings, from Broch of Burrian (actual size).] There are also a number
of pegs of bone, roughly finished, varying in length from 3 inches to 1½
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