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The curious case of the Cairns 'broch'


It's definitely broch-like but is it a broch?

That's the question still facing the archaeologists at the ongoing excavations at the Cairns in South Ronaldsay.

Overlooking Windwick Bay, the Cairns is a massive archaeological jigsaw puzzle, with a sequence of Iron Age buildings, representing centuries of use.

The first building on site was a massive broch-like roundhouse - with five metre thick walls forming a structure with an exterior diameter of 22 metres.

This structure, in particular its interior, has been the focus of much of this year's excavation, with the archaeologists painstakingly removing huge quantities of rubble from the interior to reach the floor level.

During the excavations this year, a clear picture has emerged of the inside of the 'broch' building. A large area of the interior and its entrance has been excavated of tonnes of rubble to reveal the impressive internal fixtures and fitting across about a third of the building.

More here:
http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/cairns2010.htm

(This seems a bit familiar, so apologies if I've posted this before!)
goffik Posted by goffik
15th July 2010ce

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