Dun Beag is an
iron-age 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 about 1 kilometre northwest of the village of
Struan on the west coast of the island of
Skye, in Scotland.
Description
Dun Beag () is situated at the north end of a small rocky knoll.
The broch consists of a drystone tower with a diameter of around 18.6 metres with walls about 4 metres thick at the base.
The broch currently stands to a maximum height of 2 metres.
The interior has a diameter of about 11 metres, and the entrance is on the east side.
Internally three openings are visible in the broch wall.
One leads to a small chamber; a second leads to a long narrow gallery within the wall; and a third leads to the stone stair of which some twenty steps survive.
History
The broch was visited by
Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant (16 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall, near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales.
As a naturalist he had ...
in 1772, and it was still a substantial structure, with a height of perhaps 4 metres.
The following year a broch near
Ullinish, which was probably Dun Beag, was visited by
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
and
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...
during their ''Tour to the Hebrides''.
Around half of its wall height has been lost since the 18th century.
The broch was excavated by the Countess Vincent Baillet de Latour between 1914 and 1920.
Some 200 tons of earth and stones were removed from the broch and all the soil was sifted through the excavators' fingers.
The standard of recording and publication was poor.
Finds included many stone implements and utensils, a gold ring, bronze objects, a piece of folded sheet lead, iron and glass objects, a borer of bone, a pick made from an antler, much pottery and a stone cup.
Several hundred glass beads were found although they are not thought to be prehistoric.
Coins of
Henry II,
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
,
James VI,
George II and
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
have been discovered, and it is possible that the broch was in use until comparatively recently.
References
External links
Dun Beag Historic Environment Scotland
{{Prehistoric Inner Hebrides
Brochs in the Isle of Skye
Historic Environment Scotland properties in Highland
Scheduled monuments in Highland