Borwick Broch

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Broch of Borwick - before restoration
Broch of Borwick - after restoration

The Borwick Broch is about 25 m above the Atlantic Ocean , on the east side of the narrow Borwick Bay, which lies between the Cliffs of Yesnaby and the Bay of Skaill in the municipality of Sandwick on the Scottish Orkney island of Mainland . The one from the first millennium BC Broch , which originated in the 3rd century BC, was in use for about 1,000 years when it was abandoned between AD 500 and 600. The Broch of Borwick cannot be compared in size to the Brochs by Gurness or Midhowe , but there are / were a dozen similar sized Brochs on the islands. The name Borwick is derived from the Old Norse “borg” and “vik”, which can be translated as “castle on the bay”.

description

The structure of the surrounding rocks and the rocks below make it clear that the Broch originally stood at some distance from the edge of the cliff. The better preserved remains of the Broch, with the access, are on the land side and are visible behind an earthen wall, while the lake side of the less than three meter high structure has been damaged by coastal erosion.

The entrance to the south-east leads to a 4.6 m long corridor, at the inner end of which are the remains of a guard cell , covered by rubble . Fallen brickwork lies around the tower. Parts of the outbuildings that were documented during the original excavation in 1881 can still be seen in the east and northeast. An outer wall about 20 m from the Broch, which was probably accompanied by a ditch, surrounds the tower. Fresh water, from a small stream to the east of the structure, supplied the broch and the bay; below it used to be a good landing place for boats.

The excavation

Before the excavation, the broch was a large green hill on a headland. The first excavator was William Watt (1815–1876), who also carried out the early investigations of Skara Brae . After removing the earth, Watt measured the walls of the brochure and, with values ​​between 3.4 m and 4.9 m, determined significantly more height than current measurements. Between 1881 and 1935, the height of the brochure walls was reduced to 2.6 m. They vary in width between 3.5 and 4.8 m.

The entrance to the Broch, which ends with a large lintel , is about 1.6 m high, almost a meter wide at the bottom and tapers very slightly towards the top. It led into a paved corridor, which narrows further to the inner, almost four feet high exit.

Guard cell (Engl. Guard chamber )

The guard cell on the right side of the corridor was entered through a low, narrow opening (0.6 m wide and 0.9 m high). In 1881 only the first 1.2 m were free, the rest was buried. The excavator estimated that it was about 3.6 m deep. There was a 0.3 m gap above the low entrance to the cell. The interior of the brochure was filled with ash, fallen bones, and earth.

The modification

The structure has experienced two phases of use. Watt believes that the original Broch had internal dimensions of about seven meters, which may have been modified by new users after a ruinous condition. They built a second inner wall, reducing the inner diameter to 4.8 m and dividing the interior into smaller compartments. The renovation was carried out on a surface of rubble that covered the original floor at a height of 0.9 m.

External systems

W. Watt noted that the headland on which the Broch stands was separated by an approximately 50 m long, approximately three meter high wall, which narrowed in width from 1.8 m to 1.2 m. He also found out that the area between the Broch and the Wall was occupied by a number of "buildings", small remains of which have been preserved. The presence of round pebbles in this area leads Watt to speculate that they were collected as ammunition - against attackers.

Although not nearly as big as other Orkneybrochs, Borwick is quite spectacular because of its dramatic location. John W. Hedges identified 52 brochures on Orkney and analyzed 80. Only a few have double-walled walls. The entrances have door locks and guard cells. At least 10 Orkneybrochs have their own water supply.

Legend

Local tradition says that the Broch was the residence of a "king" who had a long argument with the "king" of Verran in Voystown on the north side of Skaill Bay. The two fought on the hill known as Bruntland. This coincides with the discovery of relics in a nearby mound known as "Righ Knowe" - where "righ" is the Gaelic word for "king" and Knowe is a form of knoll used to refer to a rock outcrop on Orkney .

literature

  • Ian Armit: Broch Building in Northern Scotland: The Context of Innovation. In: World Archeology. Vol. 21, No. 3 = Architectural Innovation , 1990, ISSN  0043-8243 , pp. 435-445, JSTOR 124840 .
  • D. Lynn, B. Bell: Broch of Borwick (Sandwick), Discovery Excav Scot, 1983
  • D. Lynn, B. Bell: Broch of Borwick (Sandwick parish), pottery and worked bone, Discovery Excav Scot, 1987
  • John W. Hedges: Bu, Gurness and the brochs of Orkney (= British Archaeological Reports. British series. 163-165). 3 volumes. Oxford, BAR 1987.
  • JNG Ritchie: Brochs of Scotland . Princes Risborough, Shire Archeology secund edition 1998, ISBN 0-7478-0389-7 p. 49

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Gaelic word for king is rìgh and is pronounced ree. In: http://caledonianmercury.com/2010/08/02/useful-gaelic-word-righ/009671

Coordinates: 59 ° 1 ′ 51.4 ″  N , 3 ° 21 ′ 12.3 ″  W.