The "Nuclear' Hillforts of Early Medieval Scotland Recent keyhole excavations and desk-based assessments of possible 'nuclear' early medieval forts in Scotland.
The "nuclear' fort was first proposed by R.B.K Stevenson (1949) as consisting of a
central citadel that sits at the summit or centre of a hill with outworks connecting and
looping off the central enclosure, thus creating a descending hierarchical organisation
of space through terracing and multivallation. The definition has more or less stayed
the same, with very little new research into the site type, except for the additions by
Feachem and Alcock. Famous sites such as Dunadd and Dundurn are examples of this
fort type, and the author's thesis has created the first corpus of early medieval fortified
sites using past definitions as well as the results of the author's own excavations and
desk-based analysis. Keyhole excavations of potential 'nuclear' forts have taken place at
Craig Rock, Fife, Craig Dorney, Aberdeenshire, and Norman's Law, Fife, and excavations
of at least three further sites are planned in the coming year. These excavations
have resulted in a better understanding of the shared morphological appearance and
functions of these sites, and some of the radiocarbon dates suggest these forts were
broadly contemporary. Artefacts and animal bone recovered from the sites present
evidence of metalworking, feasting, and other signs of elite activity. Photogrammetry
and visibility analysis have been conducted on sites throughout all of mainland
Scotland, providing new insights into the significance of these complex forts in the
wider landscape. With such little critique of the 'nuclear' concept since its conception,
the preliminary results of this research underline the need to broaden and rethink the
original definition. This research is supervised by Dr Gordon Noble and excavations are
undertaken by the author and the Comparative Kingship team from the University of
Aberdeen.
Presentation by Zachary Hinckley
PhD student at University of Aberdeen