The Iron Age

Hillfort at Newstead

From the second quarter of the 1st millennium onwards Britain is now considered 'Celtic' in its culture and society. There was a complex process of social development occurring, with migration of peoples into the British Isles only being one part in that process. It is known that the Parisi moved into Yorkshire and the Belgae into south-east England but there is much less evidence for such movements in Scotland. By the end of the 1st millennium the social organisation of society in Scotland was tribal and it is possible to assign general territories to certain tribes thanks to a map produced by the Roman geographer Ptolemy, who lists 17 tribal groupings.. The tribal territories will have probably varied considerably depending on the success, or otherwise, of the warrior elite with the king or chieftain at its head. Another group who would have wielded considerable power over early Celtic society was the druids or learned men. This class did not only include the priests it also included the bards, musicians, lawyers, doctors, smiths and craftsmen. Below this were the free men who paid tribute to the leaders and below the free men were the servile class who supported all the above with their work in the fields of this agrarian economy.

Inter-tribal warfare and cattle raiding meant that strong defensive fortifications had to be built. The most significant of these was the hillfort, most of which are found in the south and east of Scotland. Timber-lacing was used to provide structural integrity to the ramparts of some hillforts while others used stone-facing or rubble and turf dump. At Finavon in Angus, which has been radiocarbon dated to before 700 B.C., there is an example of timber-lacing. La Tene metalwork at Castle Law in Perthshire dates occupation of this site to the 1st millennium B.C. but it was still being used throughout the Pictish period down to the 9th century A.D., similar evidence is available from Burghead in Moray. Sometimes the timber-lacing would be set alight and this could result in vitrified forts, where the stonework was fused and melted into a slaggy mass. Vitrified forts are generally found in an area stretching from Sutherland to the Forth. Stone fronted examples have been found at Kaimes Hill in Midlothian where the rampart was strengthened by secondary rubble and turf lines which greatly increased the fort's internal area. Unfortunately few hillforts in Scotland have had their interiors extensively excavated but a low level of settlement seems to be true in those examples that have been investigated. Some sites do show that there was permanent occupation, however, Eildon Hill North in Roxburghshire has circular depressions that show evidence for over 300 hut circles. Tap o' Noth in Aberdeenshire has 140 platforms which probably mark individual house sites. It is likely that Traprain Law in East Lothian was the capital site of the Votadini tribe and it retained its importance down to the historic period. During this period it is possible that hillforts were the foci for metalwork production, the warrior aristocracy would have desired the prestige items that the craftsmen were producing, moulds and other metalworking debris have been found at hillfort sites such as Craig Phadraig in Inverness and Moat of Mark in Kirkcudbrightshire.

Burroughton Broch, Shapinsay, showing details of the drystone construction

Palisaded settlements have been found in the Cheviots, Southern Uplands and in Northumberland. These defensive enclosures required large amounts of timber, one site in the Borders is estimated to have required 2600 timber uprights, and this would have led to the deforestation of upland Scotland. Unenclosed settlements are also known from this period and they still have evidence for high status occupants such as at Greencraig in Fife and West Plean in Stirlingshire. In the area which was later to be associated with the Picts there are numerous examples of souterrains, these are underground dry stone chambers with associated above ground circular huts. This form of settlement type continued in use well into the Pictish period. Another form of settlement type that had an extremely long lifespan is the crannog. Crannogs first appear during the Iron Age but continued in use until the sixteenth century. They were circular huts built on wooden platforms in lochs, they are also known in Ireland and Switzerland.

Crannog reconstruction, Kenmore

Ardestie souterrain

One of the most famous forms of construction of this period is the broch. These are large towers built of stone with internal walls divided into compartments. Many brochs still survive in the north of Scotland and some have been extensively excavated. They first appear as roundhouses at around 800 B.C. and by the 2nd or 3rd centuries B.C. have evolved into brochs proper. Brochs are unique to Scotland and usually take the form of a circular tower of dry-stone construction with the external diameter narrowing as the wall rises. In outward appearance they resemble modern cooling towers at power stations. The best preserved broch is at Mousa in Shetland which rises to a height of 13m. Brochs are extensively distributed, being found in Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Inverness-shire. Almost 500 examples are currently known.

Other structures of this period include duns (circular or oval stone-walled forts) and crannogs (artificial islands usually found in lochs). It is known that ritual pools were important to the Celts and at Sculptor's Cave in Moray, in addition to large quantities of human bone, there were quantities of high quality metalwork found in a pool of standing water. Other sites have also been shown to be ritual in use, Deskford in Banffshire has produced a carynx (a musical instrument) in a situation that suggests ritual deposition. Dalladies in Kincardineshire may also have served as a ritual site. After the battle of Mons Graupius in the first century many of the tribes became involved in the Roman world and after the departure of the Romans in the 5th century we begin to see more clearly the divisions within Scotland, most notably those of the Picts and Scots.

Broch of Mousa, Shetland

History Books on Celtic Scotland:

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now
Armit, I.	Celtic Scotland	1997	£15.99	Buy this book
In this lively and authoritative book, the results of modern archaeology are used alongside earlier finds and historical sources to explore the culture, religion and identity of the Celts in Scotland from 1000 BC to 500 AD. 1. Celtic Scotland? 2. Ancestral lands 3. House and Home 4. Warring Celts 5. 'Celtic Cowboys' and the Myth of Caledon 6. Identity and Power 7. Death and Belief 8. The Clash with Rome 9. Epilogue.
Barclay, Gordon	Temples and Tombs	1998	£5.99	Buy this book
The coming of the first farmers to Scotland about 6000 BC saw the beginning of the transformation of Scotland's landscape from wild to domestic, the beginnings of the felling of the primeval forests and the building of monuments on the land. This book covers this period.
Feachem, R.W.	Guide to Prehistoric Scotland	1992	£12.99	Buy this book
The numerous prehistoric monuments and sites which survive in Scotland include many that are widely known, but a great many more that are hardly ever visited. This guide, again available, contains examples of both types. Having placed these prehistoric and Pictish survivals in their human and chronological setting, the author provides fully annotated alphabetical lists under subject headings. Complete with full Ordnance Survey map references, photographs and drawings, the guide is not only an invaluable work of reference; it will enable both amateur archaeologists and interested visitors to locate and interpret the most important visible remains of prehistoric Scotland.
Oram, R.	Scottish Prehistory	1996	£8.99	Buy this book
This handbook on the archaeology of prehistoric Scotland incorporates a gazetteer of key sites and monuments. It ranges from the seventh millennium BC, through the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age, to the emergence of the early historic kingdoms after the Celtic Iron Age.
Piggott, S.	Scotland Before History	1990	£6.95	Buy this book
Ritchie, Graham & Anna	Scotland: Archaeology and Early History	1991	£15.50	Buy this book
An authoritative coverage of the early history of the country and the archaeological evidence that we have for the people who inhabited it. Deals with early farming communities, henge monuments, early metalworking, early Celts, the Romans, Britons and Angles, and the Picts.
Ross, Stewart	Ancient Scotland	1991	£19.99	Buy this book
A fine popular introduction to the history of the ancient races of Scotland and the relics they have left behind them. Covers the Beaker Folk, the first Celts, the Roman invasion, the Picts and the Vikings.