Vitrified forts — How and why?

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BrigantesNation B
BrigantesNation May 14, 2002 16:05:55
Replying to Wotan

Finavon was excavated in the 30's it had 6m wide ramparts with the inner face stone set back .7m and were 2.4m high. Against the heavily vitrified stone inner face were found a great deal of timber ash. I'll keep looking.

W Wotan
Wotan May 14, 2002 16:11:50
Replying to BrigantesNation

while youre at it - see if theres any evidence of coloured pigments.

F FourWinds
FourWinds May 14, 2002 16:13:27
Replying to BrigantesNation

Well, if it tends to be the inside that is vitrified and this happens immediately prior to abandonment then it implies of of two things.

1) ritual

2) rendering it useless to anyone else

T Telepathine
Telepathine May 14, 2002 16:35:31
Replying to BrigantesNation

Whilst doing my A-Level donkey's ago many of the excavation reports for iron age defended hilltops stated that the majority of domestic habitation was situated close to the inner rampart, which could account for your timber ash.
Is there any evidence that the vitrification process wasn't caused by fire, but by some chemical reaction? Some chemicals are quite capable of 'melting' stone.
On a slightly different track, if you had a chemical coctail of stuff like magnesium, phosphorus or pottasium, then high enough temperatures may have been attainable to melt the rock (though i suppose this would depend on the rock type, not a geologist so that's out of my area of understanding).