Dunnideer
Dunnideer (originally Dun Nideer, also Dunnydeer) is a hill fort on a 268 m high conical hill west of Insch , in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire . The complex, which was built in two phases, is formed by five somewhat concentric walls. The outer three, presumably later walls, remained unfinished.
context
There are around 50 sites in Grampian that were walled around in prehistoric times. They extend from the impressive highland locations near Rhynie such as Tap o 'Noth (563 m high) to the foothills of the coasts and were around 900 BC. and 900 AD in use. The facility on the Dunnideer hill plateau consists of a 65 × 25 m area, enclosed by walls A and B, with B being lower and no longer complete in the south. Access could not be identified. In two places there were burnt remains of a wall with post holes for an additional palisade . On the slope there are two places where platforms for huts were built, which probably date from the time of the expansion. The larger platform measures 12 × 7.5 m. Around the turn of the century, Dunnideer burned down, perhaps as a result of armed conflict. There are a number of so-called "unfinished forts" in the Grampians. One is on the "Hill of Christ's Kirk" across from Dunnideer. Other unfinished forts are "Cromar", Dufftown , "Durn Hill", "Little Conval", "Knockargetty Wood" and Portsoy .
Remains of the Dinnideer stone circle , 800 m away, of the Recumbent Stone Circle type , including the entire area of the unusually high "lying stone", lie at the edge of the forest. Of the three stones that survive, only the one lying down is in situ . The approximately 2.25 and 2.0 m high flank stones have been re-erected. The lying stone is roughly northwest-southeast oriented and is 2.8 m long, 1.95 m high and 0.5 m thick. (Location: 57 ° 20 ′ 38.2 ″ N , 2 ° 39 ′ 0.8 ″ W ) In remnants are also the Candle Hill, Inchfield, Stonehead (also Aulton) and the Wantonwells stone circle, also west and northwest of Insch , received.
The stone circles on the River Dee
The Deeside Stone Circles form a group of Recumbent Stone Circle (RSC). About 100 of them were born between 2500 and 1500 BC. In Aberdeenshire. The ensembles of the "resting stones" are usually in the southeast and (usually) on the course of the ring.
The castle
The castle is one of the earliest in Scotland and probably dates back to 1260 AD. It is a simple rectangular tower, also built from the ruins of the former fort. The stones have been smoothed, as was customary in this period. This is an indication of an early date and is similar to the stone treatment used in the castles of Balvenie (near Dufftown ) and Coull (near Aboyne ). The ground floor was probably used for storage purposes and therefore only lit by two slit windows. The center of this castle was on the first floor, in the magnificent hall, which today is only represented by the fine pointed window that survived in the west wall. Here the Lords of Balliol , the nobles who built the tower, held court and ate.
literature
- Anna Ritchie, Graham Ritchie : Scotland. Archeology and Early History (= Ancient peoples and places. 99). Thames and Hudson Ltd., London 1981, ISBN 0-50002-100-7 .
- Ian AG Shepherd: Exploring Scotland's Heritage. Grampian . HMSO, Edinburgh 1986, ISBN 0-11-492453-8 .
Web links
Coordinates: 57 ° 20 ′ 31.1 " N , 2 ° 38 ′ 41.5" W.