Bac Mic Connain
The basement of Bac Mic Connain is on the uninhabited tidal island of Vallay near Bhalaigh on North Uist , an island in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland . The “stone built” basement (also known locally as “Fogou” or “Earth House”), discovered in 1919, is located on a sand-covered hill north of Saltam Bay. It was excavated by Erskine Beveridge (1851-1920), who lived here. In the case of basements, a basic distinction is made between "rock-cut", "earth-cut", "stone built" and "mixed" basements.
Most of the inner diameter and five pillars of the round chamber can be recognized as wall foundations barely more than 0.3 m high. The inside of the second round structure is still up to a height of 1.0 m. The thickness of the walls could not be determined. The adjoining corridors and rectangular structure were too shapeless to examine.
The finds testify to its use over a long period of time. The objects are made of stone (including some molds), bronze, iron, deer antlers and bone, in addition to the pottery, which contained a small fragment of Terra Sigillata (TS - English Samian Ware ) possibly from the 2nd century. The handle of the Bac Mhic Connain knife , made of whale bones , bears an Ogham inscription, which is dated to the 6th to 8th centuries.
See also
literature
- I. Armit: The archeology of Skye and the Western Isles. Edinburgh 1996.
- JG Callander: Earth-house at Bac Mhic Connain. With notes on the structures and relics found . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. 66, 1931-2. Pp. 42-66
- DV Clarke: Bone dice and the Scottish Iron Age . Proceedings of the Prehistorical Society, vol. 36, 1970
- I. Crawford: The wheelhouse . In: Beverly Ballin Smith, Iain Banks: In the shadow of the brochs: the Iron Age in Scotland. A celebration of the work of Dr. Euan W. MacKie on the Iron Age of Scotland. Stroud 2002
Web links
- Entry on Bac Mic Connain in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland's database
- Description Engl. and pictures
Coordinates: 57 ° 39 ′ 33 ″ N , 7 ° 25 ′ 9 ″ W.