Vitrified forts — How and why?

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BrigantesNation B
BrigantesNation May 14, 2002 16:32:33
Replying to FourWinds

I've checked out another two forts. Craig Phadrig is interesting in that it has two ramparts (its oval has an outer and an inner wall) both of which are heavily vitrified but their is no entrance to the inner one!

F FourWinds
FourWinds May 14, 2002 16:38:32
Replying to BrigantesNation

If you were to block an entrance (if there is one) and fill the enclosure with something VERY flamable then surely an amount of stuff that great would cause the effect.

If this was done then the blaze would be seen for miles. Perhaps a very good way of an attacker telling the neighbours that they're next! while utterly putting the shits up them.

B BrigantesNation
BrigantesNation May 14, 2002 16:51:41
Replying to BrigantesNation

I think we need to remeber two things:

The amount of wood needed to fuel a fire to vitrify a fort.

All forts that show signs of burning have been classified as vitrified.

The ones I'm interested in will have an even burning all the way round, like Wincobank.

Oh, its starting to get a whole lot more complex.

By the way there are 48 forts classified as vitrified in Scotland.

Another angle is why mainly in Scotland? How many are there in Ireland? There are many stone faced hill forts in england but very few classified as vitrified (the only one I can find is Almondbury, and that is dubious. (excavator reported that the vitrification was present inside the ramparts, not outside, and that is was spontanious combustion.