Brochs and the Empire : the impact of Rome on Iron Age Scotland as seen in the Leckie Broch excavations / Euan W. MacKie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacKie, Euan Wallace, author.

Series:

Archaeopress archaeology.

Archaeopress archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Scotland--Antiquities, Roman.

Scotland.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 168 pages) : illustrations, maps.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Archaeopress Publishing Ltd, [2016]

Summary:

"The excavation of the Leckie Iron Age broch in Stirlingshire, Scotland, took place during the 1970s after the author had been asked to organise the work by a local archaeological society. At that stage the author did not consider - despite its location - that the site might vividly reflect the expansion of the Roman Empire into southern Scotland in the late first century AD. For various reasons the final report was not written until about thirty years after the fieldwork finished and by then the quality and significance of the Roman finds was much better understood, thanks to the analysis of them by experts. Many of them seemed like gifts to the broch chief, despite the clear evidence of the violent destruction of the broch at a later date. The Roman author Tacitus gave a detailed account of Governor Agricola's campaigns in southern Scotland and pointed out that he sometimes tried to make friends with local chiefs before invading their territories, to avoid un-necessary casualties. This also applied to the first Roman naval excursion up the west coast and explains the evidence from Dun Ardtreck, Skye, excavated in the 1960s. This site was also destroyed later and this could reflect the later hostile voyage of the navy after the battle of Mons Graupius which occurred after a few years of campaigning. Thus Rome's accounts can allow one to understand the history of some native sites much more vividly."-- Back cover.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Design and layout of the book

Problems in writing this report

Acknowledgement of assistance

Primary acknowledgements

pt. 1 The Impact of Rome on Iron Age Scotland

1.1. The historical context

1.2. Improving information from archaeology

1.3. The Roman Army invasions of Scotland

1.3.1. Summary of the Imperial Army's actions

1.3.2. The contemporary story of the late first century invasion

1.4. Roman influence on daily life

1.4.1. Roman finds on Iron Age sites

1.4.2. Social explanations for these phenomena

1.4.3. Detailed evidence from Leckie favours the `friendly Romans' theory

Roman glass

Iron tools of Roman type

A Roman Bronze Mirror

Probable Roman bronze fragments

Roman pottery

The presence of lead on the site

1.5. The impact of the Army's first three invasions on Leckie broch

1.5.1. The apparently peaceful period in Flavian times

1.5.2. The destruction in the Antonine period

1.5.3. The Severan invasion

1.5.4. Events at two neighbouring brochs in Stirlingshire

1. Fairy Knowe, Buchlyvie

2. Torwood broch, Dunipace

1.6. Governor Agricola's navy

1.6.1. Information from Roman sources

1.6.2. Information from archaeological evidence

1.6.3. The west coast and its possible harbours

1.6.4. Events at Dun Ardtreck semibroch, Skye

Is Loch Harport Portus Trucculensis?

1.7. The brochs of southern Scotland

pt. 2 Background to the Excavations

2.1. The situation of the site and its significance

2.2. Discovery of the site

2.3. How the excavations began

2.4. The site before excavation

2.5. The recording system

Horizontal co-ordinates

Vertical recording

2.6. The basic site sequence

Early

Phase 1?

Phase 2

Phase 3a

Phase 3b

Phase 3b (late)

Phase 3c

Phase 4a

4a.1

4a.2

Phase 4b

Phase 5a

Phase 5b

Phase 5c

Phase 6

Phase 7

2.8. The study of site stratigraphy

2.8. Acknowledgements

pt. 3 The Basic Stratigraphy of the Site

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Summary of basic stratigraphical evidence

3.2.1. The drystone structures

3.2.2. The internal layers

3.2.3. The sequence of stone hearths (Illus. 3.22)

3.2.4. The intra-mural stairway

3.3. Basic data 1: the wall foundations

3.3.1. The broch (constructed in Phase 2): the north wall. (Illus 2.3)

3.3.2. The broch: The south wall

3.3.3. The promontory fort

3.3.4. Conclusions about the wall foundations

3.4. Basic data 2: the sequences of layers

3.4.1. Introduction

3.4.2. External sections on the north

3.4.3. External sections on the south side

3.4.4. The main internal sections

The inner face on the west side

The upper two rubble layers

The two occupation layers

The strata under the broch floor

3.5. Basic data 3: the stone structures

3.5.1. The broch and the later stone roundhouse

3.5.2. The history of the stairway

Evidence that it is of a broch

The assumed original form of the stair

After the broch's destruction

After the abandonment of the roundhouse

During the building of the promontory fort

3.6. Basic data 4: structural features in the interior

3.6.1. Post-holes in the primary level

3.6.2. Broch paving_(Illus. 3.20)

3.7. Basic data 5: the sequence of hearths

3.8. Basic data 6: the dimensions of the structures

3.9. Dating the site Phases

3.9.1. Radiocarbon dates (Appendix 4.2.4) (Illus. 3.27)

The early dates

The twenty accurate radiocarbon dates

3.9.2. Roman imports

pt. 4 Occupation Phases and Daily Life

4.1. The Early Phase: rock shelter and rock carvings

4.1.1. The rock carvings (Illus. 4.1)

4.1.2. Deposits and structures

4.2. Phase 1? a possible small wooden hut?

4.3. Phases 2 & 3a: Broch construction and first occupation

4.3.1. Structures and stratigraphy

4.3.2. Material culture

Bronze artefacts (2 & 3a)

Iron artefacts (2 and 3a)

Lead artefacts (2 & 3a)

Stone artefacts and minerals (2 & 3a)

Roman pottery (2 & 3a

see Appendix 00)

Roman glass (2 & 3a)

Native glass artifact (2 & 3a) (Appendix?)

Fired clay (2 & 3a)

Wooden artefacts (2 & 3a)

Radiocarbon dates (2 & 3a) (Appendix 00)

4.4. Phase 3b: the second occupation of the broch

4.4.1. Structures and stratigraphy

4.4.2. Material culture

Bronze artefacts (3b)

Iron artefacts (3b)

Lead artefacts (3b)

Stone artefacts (3b)

Roman pottery (3b)

Roman glass vessels (3b)

Roman bronze mirror (3b

876) (Appendix 11)

Fired clay (3b)

Wooden artefacts (3b)

Bone and antler artefacts (3b)

Miscellaneous objects (3b)

4.5. Phase 3c: the destruction of the broch

4.5.1. Stratigraphy

4.5.2. Material culture

Bronze artefacts (3c)

Iron artefacts (3c)

Lead artefacts (3c)

Stone artefacts (3c)

Roman coins (3c)

Roman pottery and glass vessels (3c) (Appendix 0)

Roman glass ornaments (3c)

Iron Age glass ornaments (3c) (Appendix 00)

Fired clay (3c)

Wood and grain (3c)

Bone (3c)

Miscellaneous (3c) (including, flint, quartz etc.)

4.6. Phase 4b: the post-broch roundhouse

4.6.1. Structures and stratigraphy

4.6.2. Material culture

Bronze artefacts (4b)

Iron artefacts (4b)

Lead artefacts (4b)

Stone artefacts (4b)

Roman imports (4b): 1. The north external midden

Roman imports (4b): 2. The interior floor layer

Native glass ornaments (4b)

Artefacts of fired clay (4b)

Bone artefacts (4b)

4.7. Phase 5: the unfinished promontory fort

4.7.1. Structures and stratigraphy

4.7.2. Material culture

4.8. Phase 6: the abandoned site

4.9. Unstratified finds

Bronze artefacts

Iron artefacts

Lead artefacts

Stone artefacts

Glass artefacts

Roman artefacts

Fired clay artefacts

Wooden artefacts

4.10. Daily life at Leckie

4.10.1. Food

4.10.2. Transport, weapons and social status

4.10.3. Domestic activities

4.10.4. Games and ornaments

signs of status?

4.10.5. Manual skills

4.10.6. Metalworking

Bronze

Iron

Lead

4.10.7. A Last Intriguing Object

Carved Pebble-Head (Illus.4.26)

pt. 5 Bibliography and Appendices

5.1. Bibliography

5.2. Appendix 1: Introduction and on-line data

5.2.1. Change in Phases

5.2.2. Detailed information about the fieldwork.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781784914417

178491441X