Reconnaissance Excavations on Early Historic Fortifications and Other
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 117 (1987), 119-147, fiche 2: A3-G4 Reconnaissance excavations on Early Historic fortifications and other royal sites in Scotland, 1974-84: 2, Excavations at Dunollie Castle, Oban, Argyll, 1978 Leslie Alcock Elizabetd *an AlcochA k SUMMARY As part of a long-term programme of research on historically documented fortifications, a small excavation carried earthwork 1978in was the on out defences Dunollieat OllaighCastle,Dun the ofthe early annals. Five moreor phases were revealed, of which Dunollie datable seventhare the to 1-3 to ninth even(or 10th) centuries AD,incorporateand wall-faceda rubble rampart around summitthe of Dunollie stack. After a dereliction phase, Dunollie 4 saw the building of a later rampart, perhaps in the 13th century. The account of the work printed here provides a synthesis of the excavation results, together with a discussion of the wider background of Dunollie 1-3. A detailed excavation report and finds catalogue will be found in the microfiche. CONTENTS EXCAVATION SYNTHESI DISCUSSIOD AN S N (illus 1-9) Introduction ..................................................................0 .12 The early defences ............................................................. 120 Fortifications in Dal Riata: the political and social background to Dunollie 1-3 ......... 127 econome Th materiad yan l cultur Dunollif eo 3 ................................e1- 6 13 . Acknowledgements............................................................4 14 . References ...................................................................4 14 . DETAILED EXCAVATION REPORT AND FINDS CATALOGUE (fiche 2:A3-G4: illus 10-22) Introduction.................................................................. fiche 2: A5 History and topography............................................................. 2:A6 The excavation Character of excavation and report............................................. 2: All sequence northerTh e th f eo n defences ......................................... 2:A14 List of features and special finds in cuts 101 and 201 ............................... 2:B2 'Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow 120 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1987 The eastern defences and terraces .............................................. 2:EI1 List of features and special finds in cuts 301 and 401 ............................... 2:C1 Chronology Radiocarbon dates' ............................................................ 2:C5 Datable finds ... J. ............................................................ 2:C7 Synthesis. Catalogue of finds Coins ...... .......................................................... 2:D5 Other metal objects: gold, base silver, copper alloy, iron........................... 2:D8 Pottery, crucibles,[tuyeres, moulds, clay pipes, fired daub .......................... 2:E1 Glass........... |............................................................. 2:E8 Antle bond an r e ......................................................... 2:E12 Wood.......... ..........................................................2:F1 Ston flint.d ean . .......................................................... 2:F1 Appendices Animal bone 'WG sI Hodgso Angeln& a Jones ................................... 2:F5 Glass D W Sanderson........................................................2:F11 EXCAVATION SYNTHESIS INTRODUCTION ! In any survey of the Early Historic fortifications of northern Britain (Alcock et al 1986), Dunollie mus regarde e sitey b t ke . a Thi s d a simpls si y because forOllaighe n th m Du n i , name th , e occurs in no fewer than five of the entries in the Annals which had been compiled at lona: in 686,698, 701, 714 and 734 (Bannerman 1974; MacAirt & MacNiocaill 1983). This is the largest number of mentions recorde singly an r e dfortifiefo dlone sitth an e i Annals statisti:a c likels thaa s ti refleco yt t relative th e nearnes Dunollif so actualons eo t it s aa l importance foun .I r entrie describes i t si Irisdn i h as dun, fort, and in the fifth in Latin as arx, citadel, so its fortified character is evident. Moreover, in the entries respectively for 701 and 714 it is said firstly to have been destroyed and secondl havyo t e been built (presumably rebuilt Selbachy )b readils i e .H y identified with Selbacn hso of Ferchar kindreFotae th f o , Lornf do majoa , r contende kingshie th r rfo Daf po l latRiate th e n ai seventh and early eighth centuries AD. The association of Dun Ollaigh with characteristic royal activitie buildine th destructio s- d gan fort thuf s ni o s- manifest (Alcock 1987b). Dunollie appears I toda a ruine s a y d medieval tower-hous d courtyardan e , standina n go precipitous stack of basalt-capped sandstone on the north shore of Oban bay (NGR NM 8531) (illus towee courtyar1-3)d Th nortran e .t occup easd th e no hn wholan ar stackte e o o d d yth th d f ean o , clear traces of earthworks which appear to have no connection with the masonry castle. In the expectation that they might revea Ollaign l Annalsevidence Du th e f ho th r , ethesfo e earthworks were examined brieflcuttingso tw 1978n n yi i , : 101-20 norte 301-40d th easthn e an 1 o th .n 1o THE EARLY DEFENCE S; tabl 5 (illu ) & e 1 s4 Apart from Neolithic/Bronze-Age activity denote occurrence th y db f workeeo d flints, four major phases predating the masonry castle were discovered. (For the stratification, see illus 4; tabular synthesis 125p , ; conjectural reconstructions, illus 5-6.) ALCOCK AND ALCOCK: EXCAVATIONS ON EARLY HISTORIC FORTIFICATIONS: 2, DUNOLLIE 121 ILLU S1 Aerial vie Dunollif wo e from west cuttinge Th . s excavate lefe (northf o th t 197o behinn t d i e )an 8 li d (east tower-housee )th . (Cambridge University Collection: copyright reserved) Dunollie 1 Befor defensivy an e e wor buils kwa t aroun perimetee dth stacke th f bronza o r, e worker's hearth was established on its northern edge (cutting 101, feature 118 and associated spreads of burnt material, 114,117and214). Fragments of clay moulds show that the principal product on this spot was simple th e stick pin. Other metal objects include iron da n spearhea severad dan l socketed arrowtips of iron. Bone and antler work was represented by pins and a composite comb. Animal bones and charcoal from layer 117 provided material for three radiocarbon age estimates. The raw dates, on the Libby half life are: GU 1395 Animal bones (Bos) 1280+75 bp GU 1396 GU 1397 Animal bones (Sus Ovis)& 1270±6p 0b GU 1398 Charcoal (Quercus) p b 142 0 5±6 calibratee Thesb y ema calendado t rprobabilit date% 95 se ADth t ,ya level, usin calibratioe gth n tables of Klein et al (1982; for the use of this calibration see Alcock et al. 1986), as follows: GU 1395+1396 600-890 AD GU 1397 610-880 AD GU 1398 470-65D 0A 122 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1987 P.... f .... 9 ? _JPK ILLUS 2 Location maps for 1, Dunollie, 2, Dunadd, 3, lona. Hatching marks better land, as define Macaulae th y db y Institut Soir efo l Research earliee Th estimate rag e fro Quercuse mth (oak) samplaccountee b y assuminy eb ma r dfo g thae tth tree from whic centurcamt ha i s ewa morr yo befor felledd s e ol genera e wa t ei Th . l implicatio thas ni t Dunollie 1 falls in the seventh to ninth centuries AD; but it must be recognized that the dates from animal bones deposite perimetee poine th t provid on n no o t t da o absolutn d ra e e e th dat r efo ALCOCK AND ALCOCK: EXCAVATIONS ON EARLY HISTORIC FORTIFICATIONS: 2, DUNOLLIE 123 ... P 7 &P p b 5,0 JSo ILLUS 3 Dunollie Castle and earthworks, planned by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, showing the 1978 cuttings, and the exposed traces of Rampart A (Crown Copyright). Inset, Dunollie Castl relation ei Obao nt n Baym :0 contour9 d m0 0 an 3 6 , t sa beginning of the occupation. They do, however, suggest that Dunollie 1 was the place mentioned in the Annals as being burned in 686 and 698, and destroyed by Selbach in 701. metalworker'e Th s hearth weaponse ,th shera d d,an fro mpottera y vesse continentaf lo l origin (Clasimpll al ) ysE that perso seaa e Dunolli f th o t s importancef no wa e1 , whether roya noblr o l e | SOCIET 4 12 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1987 ILLUS 4 Sections across the northern and eastern earthworks. A, field record of cuttings 101 and 201; B, schematic sectio shoo nt w relationships betwee 201d n , fielan feature ;C 1 d 10 recor n i s cuttinf do 1 g30 (Alcock 1987b). Suc potentatha e migh expectee b t havo dt e required more protection than that which the natural steepness of the stack afforded. The evidence from cutting 101-201 is decisive, however, that there wer artificiao en l defence t thisa s time alon northere gth n perimeter, while eth evidence from cutting 301 is best interpreted in the same sense. It seems reasonable therefore to speculate tha defensive th t e elemen Dunollif o t comprisee1 smalda thick-wallet lbu d drystone fort, circular or oval in plan, on the crown of the stack: the type of fort to which the Royal Commission on ALCOCK AND ALCOCKI EXCAVATIONS ON EARLY HISTORIC FORTIFICATIONS: 2, DUNOLLIE 125 ILLU S5 Rampart reconstructedB d an sA : above, 201cuttingd an , 1 belows10 , cuttin ghearte 301th , 1 .h (heavy outline) and burning layers of Dunollie 1; 2, Rampart A; 3, the dereliction layer; 4, Rampart B TABLE 1 Dunollie: Synthesis of stratification Phase Cuttings 101,201 Cutting 301 Structural Character DatD eA Post-4 204 (7205) 305, 306 Material against rea Ramparf ro t B: coins 1629-39, perio towef do r hous lated ean r jetton 1580-1610 4 107, 115,203,207 302,303,310 Rampart B: earthwork castle coin 1205-10 3 111,112,206,208,210 308 Dereliction: spread of refuse Calibrated C-14, from phase2 & s1 865-1045, 875-1055 2 116,120,209,205(7110,113) 311,313 Rampar : walleA t d stack fort 1 114,117,118,119,214 Industrial area on N side of stack. Calibrated C-14 summin o n 7du t 470-650, 610-880, 600-890 Ancient Monuments of Scotland assigns the technical term dun.