The Scottish Iron Age Flashcards
What was the Time Span of the Iron Age in Scotland?
-Started around 750BC
-There are different opinions on when it ended; either 79 AD with the arrival of the Romans, 500 AD (Ian Armit’s start of the early Historic period), or 900 AD when the medieval kingdom of Alba was created
Describe the Archaeological Site at Traprain Law in East Lothian
-Cremation urns and rock-art dating to the Bronze Age on top of a hill
-Rampart-enclosed section of the hillfort was built around 1000BC
-The final hillfort enclosed area was around 16 hectares
-Excavations have revealed metalworking equipment, gritty pottery, bronze axes, knives, razors a rich silver hoard and even contact with the Romans
Describe the history of Hillforts in Iron Age Scotland
-Large hillforts were developed in Eastern and Lowland Scotland throughout the first millenium BC
-Not all were built on hills and almost none of them were actually forts!
-Most would have been hard to defend
-Their structure suggests that individuals were starting to control larger groups of people
What are some Types of Buildings that were common in Iron-Age Scotland?
-Timber roundhouses (in fertile valleys and some inside enclosures)
-Duns; stone-walled enclosures on the West Coast
-Crannogs (roundhouses built on lochs on artificial islands)
-Brochs
Describe the Prevelance of Brochs in Scotland during the Iron Age
-Concentrated in Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, Sutherland and the Western Isles
-Some brochs found in lowland and southern Scotland but far less common here
-They are stone towers built up to 13m high
-Built between 200BC and 100AD (this was the late Iron Age)
-At least 500 are known of in Scotland
What is is thought Brochs were used for?
-Perhaps used as defences but there is little evidence for this
-May have been home to rich/ powerful individuals (due to the amount of effort that goes into building them), and they may have come with their own territory/ land
What were Broch Villages?
-Stone-walled enclosures with a central broch surrounded by smaller stone buildings
-Brochs are typically double-walled with a cavity in between where people can walk and staircases are often found
-The best examples are at Clickhimin, the Broch of Gurness and Midhowe
-Most of them were abandoned around 100 AD
Describe the Prevelance of Roundhouses in Iron Age Scotland
-Remained the standard settlement of choice throughout most of the Iron Age
-Typical Iron Age settlements in the lowlands were roundhouses surrounded by a palisaded fence in a largely deforested landscape
What Material Heritage do we Have from the Scottish Iron Age?
Carnyx:
-E.g. Deskford carnyx, Banffshire
(AD80-200)
-Iron-Age war trumpet
-Found in 1816 in a bog
Chariot Burials:
-High-status but therefore very
rare, e.g. Newbridge (around
250BC)
-Part of a wider British/ European
pattern/ custom
Celtic Metalwork Styles:
-Hallstatt (late Bronze Age to
middle Iron Age); a sword was
found in Aberdeenshire dating to
around 800BC
-La Tene (Late Iron Age)
-similar styles of weaponry and
jewellery have been found across
large areas of Europe, however
they are very rare in Scotland
How did Farming Develop during the Iron Age in Scotland?
-Introduction of new technology such as the quern which made grinding grain more efficient
-Field systems were introduced (which are evidenced by looking at some cropmarks)
How did the Arrival of Iron impact Scotland?
-Iron reached NW Europe around 1000BC
-It impacted the everyday toolkit, especially for farming
-Iron ore was easier to source than for bronze, however copper and gold were still in use
-Iron-making was more complicated than bronze
-Crucible fragments and slag are the main evidence for smithing
-Forging allowed a range of sharper objects to be crafted, however iron couldn’t be poured into a mould
-Smithing and the addition of carbon made stronger tools/ weapons, e.g. swords, ploughs, sickles etc.
What is the Importance of Hoarding during the Iron Age in Scotland?
-Perhaps a religious activity?
-Deposits of metalwork in lochs, peat bogs and pools are found until around 500BC
-They appear to be votive (in fulfilment of a vow) offerings to possible deities
-After 200BC, hoards appear again but with less weaponry
What Evidence is there of a possible Fertility/ Water god?
-Ballachulish figurine
-Wooden human female figurine found in peat
-Almost 5ft tall
-Dated to around 600BC
-Appears to have a phallic object in its hand which could suggest a fertility god(ess)?
What Evidence is there of Language in Iron-Age Scotland?
-Celtic tribe names
-These are the earliest linguistic evidence in Britain (attested across Britain)
-Tribal areas were probably not stable kingdoms
-Territories appear to have been geographically stable and some names have lasted to the present day
