Midhowe 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 the west coast of the island of Rousay in the

Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...

, in Scotland.

Description

Midhowe Broch () is situated on a narrow promontory between two steep-sided creeks, on the north side of Eynhallow Sound. The broch is part of an ancient settlement, part of which has been lost to

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...

. The broch got its name from the fact that it is the middle of three similar structures that lie grouped within 500 metres of each other and Howe from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word ''haugr'' meaning mound or barrow.Orkney Placenames
accessed 14 February 2014 The broch tower has an internal diameter of 9 metres within a wall 4.5 metres thick, which still stands to a height of over 4 metres. The broch interior is crowded with stone partitions, and there is a spring-fed water tank in the floor and a hearth with sockets which may have held a roasting spit. The broch is surrounded by the remains of other lesser buildings, and a narrow entrance provides access into the defended settlement. The other buildings seem to have been built as adjacent houses, but later in the site's history they were used as workshops, and one of these buildings still retains its iron-smelting hearth. A short distance to the southeast is a large Neolithic chambered cairn known as Midhowe Chambered Cairn.

Excavations

The broch and attendant buildings were excavated between 1930 and 1933 and then taken under guardianship. The excavations recovered stone and bone tools associated with grain processing, spinning and weaving. Also found were pieces from crucibles and moulds associated with bronzeworking. Also discovered was a fragment from a Roman bronze vessel. Many of the artefacts are now on display at the Broch of Gurness.

References

External links

Midhowe Broch
Historic Scotland {{Prehistoric Orkney Brochs in Orkney Historic Environment Scotland properties in Orkney Scheduled monuments in Orkney Prehistoric Orkney Rousay