Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 127 (1997), 407-466 excavatioe Th lateo tw r f Ironfortifieo e nAg d homesteads at Aldclune, Blair Atholl, Perth & Kinross R Hingley*, H L Mooref, J E TriscottJ & G Wilsonf with contribution AshmoreJ P y sb , HEM Cool DixonD , , LehaneD MateD I , McCormickF , McCullaghJ P R , McSweenK , y &RM Spearman ABSTRACT Two small 'forts', probably large round houses, occupying naturala eminence furtherand defended by banks and ditches at Aldclune, by Blair Atholl (NGR: NN 894 642), were excavated in advance of road building. Construction began Siteat between2 second firstthe and centuries Siteat 1 BC and between the second and third centuries AD. Two major phases of occupation were found at each site. The excavation was funded by the former SDD/Historic Buildings and Monuments Directorate with subsequent post-excavation and publication work funded by Historic Scotland. INTRODUCTION In 1978 the Scottish Development Department (Ancient Monuments) instigated arrangements for excavation whe becamt ni e known tha plannee tth d re-routin trun9 A e k th roa likels f go dwa y to destroy two small 'forts' at Aldclune, by Blair Atholl (NGR: NN 894 642). A preliminary programm f triao e l trenching bega n Aprii n l 1980, revealing that substantial e areath f o s structure d theian s r defences survived e fac n th vieI . t f wo tha t both sites wer f higo e h archaeological potentia would an l almose db t completely obliterate roae th dy dbuildingb s wa t ,i decide proceeo dt d with full-scale excavation. This wor carries k wa t unde dou directioe th r f no Triscotn Jo t Novembebetweed an y nMa r 1980 limiteA . d portio southere th f no n par Sitf o t e 1's outer defences survived road constructio remaid nan situ.n ni conditione Th s under which field wor carries k wa t wer dfroou r efa m ideal projece .Th s wa t extende elevente th t da h hou severan o r l occasions whe t becamni e clear that further wors kwa required, resultin ongoinn a gn i g rescue programme which mad difficult ei maintaio t t n continuity. The limited resources available meant that neither site was entirely excavated. In addition, the site was heavily wooded and had to be cleared by the excavators prior to work starting. Both sites d beeha n damage y forestrb d y plantatio d difficultiean n s with interpretation were further * Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburg 1S9 HhEH t Environmental and Archaeological Services, Edinburgh, Unit 8 Abbeymount Techbase, 2 Easter Road, Edinburgh EH7 SAN } 13A Lamer Street, Dunbar, East Lothian EH4J 21H | SOCIET 8 40 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997 compounded by the hilltop location: many of the archaeological deposits were truncated by erosion, and continuous stratigraphy was scarce. drafA t reporresulte th prepares f o tswa severad dan l categories f specialiso t work were completed when n 1995i , , EASE took ove managemene th r projecte th f o t . Further specialist analyses were commissioned and additional radiocarbon dates acquired. The description of the excavation has been drawn from the site records and draft versions of the report. Site phasing phasd an e plans largely represen excavator'e th t s original conclusions t alternativbu , e interpreta- tions are also offered. A general discussion considers various aspects of the archaeology of the structures within the tradition of house building in later prehistoric Scotland. Funding for this work was provided by Historic Scotland. HISTORY OF THE ALDCLUNE SITES castles,o tw . ' nearly oprettyp a f to round,e th highn o ridge, above gun-shota from highwaye th (sic)a , pacesfew from each other having double,somein placesand triple, ditches. Before gatesthe stand several obelisks, in a zigzag position; probably for the protection of champions, that defended the entries, and to obstruct the enemies' access. These seem to be of a later date than the other round castles' (Stat Acct, vol 2, 474). This is the earliest reference to the Aldclune sites, and, indeed, the most informative description for the next 150 years. This account suggests that the author of the Statistical Account for Blair Athol Struad thean l w nbeinms sa a differen a f go thomesteade typth o et s encountered elsewhere siteo areae itw thas d n th were simila,an a tth n ei r stat preservatiof eo timee appearancth e t ;nth a e of Sit appeare2 havo st e deteriorated after this description, sinc laten ei r description conditios sit n seems to have been such as to prevent identification except by the experienced eye. It was the Scouting movement which prompted the next mention of the sites; Hugh Mitchell Pitlochra , y residen Fello d Societe an tth f w o Antiquarief yo Scotlandf so , publisheda serie gainin o lecturef t s o d Pathfindeai e g191th n n si a s 1a r badge. Onl fore mentiones yi on t n di Mitchell's account; thi 'earthereferren s si a s a o dt n fortification' mentioo N . mads ni ditchef eo s difficuls i t i d asseso t t an s wha actualls i t y being described. Again authoe th , r considered thae tth unliks forwa t e other suggested an s d tha t mighf Neolithii to e b t c date sinc t guardeei e dth approac caire th t Strathgrayna o h t . Subsequently, Watson (1913) referree site th s havina s o t d g been mentionee th n i d Statistical t mak Account,no visitd ea di detailet A . bu confuset dbu d descriptio southere th f no n site and its environs was published in a further guide to the area for Scouts (Dixon 1925). A photograph of the fort included in this publication shows it to have been in much the same conditio immediatels wa t i s na y prio excavationo rt . This autho describew rno fore beins dth a t g the hunting lodge of a Pictish king, a vantage point from which horse racing could be viewed, the fields below being identifie Bails d a Aonuich n a r 'tho e gallopin e plaith f no g horses'. (Plaie th f no 'fair 'gatheringr o ' ' mighalternative.n a e tb ) Child Grahae& m (1943) note sitee t f fivmarke dth o s bein no a seo gOrdnancn tw d o e Survey maps, and published a sketch of the causeway defences of the northern site, suggesting that it might be the earlier of the two, since it appeared the more dilapidated. In 1958 the forts and their immediate surroundings were surveyed by the Royal Commission e Ancienth d Historican o an t l Monument f Scotlane accompanyino s th d an d g description (RCAHMS 1958) suggested tha northere th t n might represen southere mottea tth n d du an ,n a HINGLEY, MOORE, TRISCOTT & WILSON: IRON AGE HOMESTEADS, ALDCLUNE 409 BridgeofTilt '•-._ Blair Atholl 1 km ILLU S1 Location plans (BasedOrdnancee th n o Survey Crown© copyright) 41 | 0SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997 r^ .- •••" ....A V. •••'' •••'' />^"- !C^V^~ Site 2 \ #^^~ • || / v /SS \l '• n '•. /. ••.« \\ •"•*'*.K ,«*• ; ^>c^r-^^_ Site3 10 10m walling bank ditch/slot Sitel ILLU S2 Aldclune: Sites3 1,d 2an HINGLEY, MOORE, TRISCOT WILSONT& : HOMESTEADSIROE NAG , ALDCLUN | E41 1 or similar structure. The sites were surveyed at 1:10,000 by the Ordnance Survey in 1968. In 1970 the two sites were added to the schedule of protected sites by the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments. SITE LOCATION AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND Aldclune Th e sites were situate stretc poine rived e dth th mi f almos rf to e h o Garr th t ta y between rivee th r AllTild an tt Girnaig (illus 1). They occupie elevaten da d positio prominenceo tw n no s above a pocket of level, fertile ground, surrounded by upland grazing. Commanding good views along the valley, they presented highly visible features within this landscape and their substantial outwork stone-build san t entrances must have appeared impressiv weld ean l defended (illu. s2) Sites 1 and 2 lay 60 m apart, separated-by a knoll (Site 3), which prevented them from being intervisible. Their entrances were opposed, each facing a natural approach: Site 1 looked westward, towards the level ground below; Site 2 faced a south-east route, which led from the upland area, over the central knoll. The steep nature of the surrounding terrain, together with the outworks of each site, effectively confined access to these two approaches. No other archaeological features are known in the immediate area. This may be due to differential survival above and below a head dyke upslope (Stevenson 1975), although it might be expected that other, similar, sites would exist on the glacial dumps running along the valley bottom which have not been agriculturally exploited. In the wider surrounding area archaeological remains are restricted to the land above the 200 contourm , wit exceptiohthe cairnstandina nof sand g ston Killiecrankieeat norththe ,To . above the 300 m contour, are a number of groups of unenclosed hut circles with associated field systems. Similar groups lie to the south of the river Garry, but more importantly a concentration of homestead foune alss b si thio n t di s area (illus 23). These stone-walled homesteads closely compar Aldclune sizth n e i o et e site havd san e been interprete dwellinge th s da cattlf so sheer eo p farmers. Whilst these have been extensively surveye plotted dan d (Watson 191 19153& ; Stewart 1969; Taylor 1990), only three have been excavated (Watson 1915; Taylor 1990).