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Caithness Experimental Archaeology Project – Broch Building, Volunteers Needed!

Stoneworks Early Architecture Project

STONEworks website and events listing

AOC Archaeology Group is pleased to be working with Caithness Archaeological Trust and Archie Sinclair Fossil Trust on their new community experimental archaeology project, STONEworks Early Architecture Project.

For four weeks from Monday September 19th 2011, we will be learning about building methods in the past; work will involve the construction of a section of broch, potentially reaching 10-12m in height. The wall will feature intra-mural galleries, as these were common in Iron Age brochs. Building the broch with large slabs of Caithness flagstone will be hard work, but we trust that participants will relish the challenge and enjoy the communal endeavour!

One of the main research interests of the project is to force the collapse of the structure, and in doing so, to find out more about the way in which brochs collapse. We will learn about this poorly understood process by depositing various items at specified locations in the broch walls; when we force the collapse of the broch, we can identify where those items ended up. This will hopefully reveal much about the processes that some archaeological artefacts go through before archaeologists find them many years later.

Volunteers of all ages are invited to take part; no experience is required, tools and training will be provided, and it’s free to participate. Artists, photographers, film-makers and art students will also be welcomed should they choose to come and take inspiration from the creation of an imposing and beautiful structure.

All the details of the organised events, and contacts if you can go and help on the link, above.

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Just passing this on, heard about it on the grapevine... I hope there might be some folk in the area who can join me in helping with the build. Also going to be taking a few trips up to photograph / paint, so will have some interesting updates / work coming from it I hope!

Image of Sunhoney (Stone Circle) by summerlands

Sunhoney

Stone Circle

‘Looking West, Sunhoney Stone Circle’ 16 x 20” acrylic on canvas. Just blimmin’ LOVE this place, shame it’s so very tricky to organise into a nice composition for painting, so this time I just painted by fave’ stone :-)

Image credit: Nicki MacRae
Image of Silbury Hill (Artificial Mound) by summerlands

Silbury Hill

Artificial Mound

‘Silbury Hill’ 20x24” acrylic on canvas. Forgive the little inaccuracies and artistic licence, it’s as much an emotional response as supposed to be representational. Managed to get back to see my dear Silbury after many years living up North, and it was a bit emotional!

Image credit: Nicki MacRae
Image of Ring of Brodgar (Stone Circle) by summerlands

Ring of Brodgar

Stone Circle

Posting up a couple of Brodgar I painted in the field in Feb ‘11 – I resisted posting them before as they are not 100% accurate (the working conditions were a bit distracting, if exhillerating!) but I feel they capture a ‘vibe of place’ that perhaps a photo can’t always, and therefore still useful to post I hope :-)...
‘Gales and Winter Showers, Ring of Brodgar’ 16x20”, acrylic on canvas.

Image credit: Nicki MacRae
Image of Ring of Brodgar (Stone Circle) by summerlands

Ring of Brodgar

Stone Circle

Posting up a couple of Brodgar I painted in the field in Feb ‘11 – I resisted posting them before as they are not 100% accurate (the working conditions were a bit distracting, if exhillerating!) but I feel they capture a ‘vibe of place’ that perhaps a photo can’t always, and therefore still useful to post I hope :-)...
‘An Hour in Icy Wind at Brodgar’ 12 x24”, acrylic on canvas.

Image credit: Nicki MacRae

Auchagallon

The site is only a couple of hundred yards from the road – you can spot it from the coast road if you look up the hillside. There’s room to park to the side of private lane leading up past the cairn, then a short walk uphill through the gate (there’s a sign asking people to use the lane rather than climbing across the field).

Great place to take a picnic if the weather is good.

Image of Ring of Brodgar (Stone Circle) by summerlands

Ring of Brodgar

Stone Circle

A paiting of part of the circle from experiences and photos taken in Feb 2011 – ‘Strange Skies over Brodgar’ (16 x 20”, acrylics on canvas). The sky was created by an odd mix of Northern Lights, cloud with bright (full) moon on it, street lighting (Stromness), the effects of the camera / long expo, stars... and a little artistic licence.

Image credit: Nicki MacRae

Camore Wood

This standing stone is about 200 yards into a large farmers field. It sit’s into a slight dell, and is very hard to spot from any road.

There are a few ways to get to the stone…

The first way is through the paths than run through Camore Wood (Forestry Commission). There’s a public car park to the South of the wood on the Cuthill road, but you’ll need a map to find your way through the forest paths – but it’s a nice way to bulk out the walk.

Another way is via the main road out of Dornoch heading towards the A9. As you leave the main part of Dornoch keep your eyes to the left of the road, you’ll pass along the edge of a estate of new houses, then shortly after a lone farm – after this, as the road climbs a little, look for a very small sign on the left marking a footpath and a gate in the wall. Beside the gate is a rough, unofficial pull in for one car. Park up, go through the gate and keep heading south for a few yards, through a pretty copse of trees. You exit on a wide footpath, head right towards the edge of Camore Wood. You’ll shortly catch sight of the top of the stone in the field on your left. About two thirds along this path is a wide gate into the field, where you can enter the field without getting tangled in barbed wire. The stone is clearly visible. The field currently has a large flock of sheep in it, so best not to take dogs.

The stone itself is very odd – the south and north faces look like they are made of two entirely different types of rock (well to my untrained eye at least).I t’s well over 8 feet tall, but has developed quite a lean to the North, which along with it’s tapering shape make it feel like it could topple at any time.

In the past when I have visited the field has been smooth pasture, but this year it’s been ploughed to within 2/3 feet of the stones base to plant turnips for the livestock.

Folklore

Skail
Chambered Cairn

From the Northern Times, Published: 25 May, 2007 (report on annual summer school of the Council for Scottish Archaeology at Bettyhill)

“at Skail, discussion centred on the denuded neolithic chamber known locally as “the Temple”, associated in folklore and possibly in reality, with Sagart Ruadh, the “Red Priest”, a Columban cleric said to have died there at the hands of a Norse warrior.”

northern-times.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/2059/Exploring_north_Sutherland_s_archaeological_heritage.html