Midhowe Broch

The Broch of Midhowe lies opposite the island Eynhallow directly on the same arm of the sea, on the west side of belonging to the Orkney island of Rousay in Scotland. Nearby are the ruins of two other Broch ( hence the name Midhowe = mean hill ) and are the passage tomb ( Stalled Cairn ) of Midhowe. The Broch and the other buildings were excavated 1930-1933. Prior to excavation it was just a grassy hill, which was about six feet tall and was about nine feet above the low water mark on a small promontory.

Description

During the last centuries before the Christian era, the lying almost at sea level promontory on which the Broch created was separated by a double moat from the hinterland. Maybe it was an earthen wall between the trenches.

Later, only a mound, then built a massive wall and the inner moat were partially backfilled immediately behind the outer ditch. Such walls are rare. The Midhowes wall has counterparts in the Shetland Islands ( Ness of Burgi ) and Nybster in Caithness. Within the walled area of ​​the double Broch was ( galleried broch ) with a five -meter-wide wall built around a ten -meter indoors. The common on the Scottish mainland construction is probably represented at Orkney only in the early phase. The walls of later Broch in Orkney are solid, but there are no dated evidence for this assumption. The Broch of Midhowe has the usual fittings such as gallery stairs and Wachterzelle.

A small complex of stone buildings was built on the north side of the Broch. Gradually these internal buildings was extended to Wall. There is evidence that the houses of Midhowe have arisen later than the Broch. It is unknown how much was lost from the promontory over the millennia to the sea.

Inside the Broch's the remains of fixtures and herds were found. They originate mainly from the late phase of use. The Broch broke still together during the Iron Age or destroyed. The interior was filled with stones and outside were the remains of buttresses.

Stone and bone tools have on agriculture and crafts, such as grain processing, spinning and weaving. The Broch gave evidence of trade and metallurgy. Bronze was made into brooches, were found fragments of crucibles and molds. A building contained a forge, so that probably also iron was processed, but this is not substantiated by artifacts. Shards of Roman pottery and a bronze ( Patera ) Ladle indicate at least indirect contact with the Romans.

In the immediate vicinity of the Midhowe Cairn lies.

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