Clumlie Broch is an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

broch In archaeology, a broch is an British Iron Age, Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Brochs are round ...

located on

Mainland, Shetland The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections. Geography It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island a ...

, in Scotland ().

Location

Clumlie Broch is located in

Dunrossness Dunrossness, (Old Norse: ''Dynrastarnes'' meaning "headland of the loud tide-race", referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost) is the southernmost parish of Shetland, Scotland. Historically the name Dunrossness has usually referred to the area ...

, on the southern part of

about 8 kilometres north of

Sumburgh Airport Sumburgh Airport is the main airport serving the island of Shetland, Scotland. It is located on the southern tip of the mainland, in the parish of Dunrossness, south of Lerwick. The airport is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limit ...

. It stands on a low rise on flat arable ground. The broch is at the centre of an abandoned croft, which encroaches upon the ruins.

Description

The broch has an external diameter of 21 metres and an internal diameter of about 8 metres. Much of the western side of the site is hidden by a stone dyke, but the entrance passage and a guard cell are visible. The walls currently stand around 2 metres high.

Excavations

Clumlie Broch was partially excavated by Gilbert Goudie in 1887, who also restored part of the walling. Goudie discovered a stone

cist In archeology, a cist (; also kist ; ultimately from ; cognate to ) or cist grave is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. In some ways, it is similar to the deeper shaft tomb. Examples occur ac ...

75 centimetres above the floor of the broch and concluded that the broch had been used for burials after it had fallen into disuse. Finds included stone implements,

quern stones Quern () is a former municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Since 1 March 2013, it has been part of the municipality of Steinbergkirche Steinbergkirche () is a municipality in the district of ...

, whetstones,

spindle whorl A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn. History A spindle whorl may be a disk or spherical object. It is typically positioned on the bottom of the spindle. T ...

s, and hammer stones. There were also many pottery fragments and animal bones, shells, as well as a fragment of a painted Roman bowl.

References

External links

{{Prehistoric Shetland Brochs in Shetland Scheduled monuments in Shetland Mainland, Shetland