Iron Age brochs, stone by stone.
What brochs are, how their double walls and hidden stairs worked, who may have lived in them, and what the sagas say about Mousa, from Shetland and Orkney to Lewis, Skye, Glenelg and the Borders. Every fact is checked against Historic Environment Scotland, UNESCO’s Tentative List, the Shetland Amenity Trust and the UK government, and where sources disagree we show each one.
The short version
Brochs are found only in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories Historic Environment Scotland says brochs are the only building type unique to Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Statement of Significance, Mousa Broch (last reviewed 2018)
A broch is a drystone tower made of two walls, one inside the other, with a narrow entrance passage and often small cells off the ground floor. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories A stone stair winds up between the inner and outer walls to the top. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories
Brochs first appeared about 2,300 years ago. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Beag Broch, history and stories Historic Environment Scotland says broch-building stopped around AD 100, though brochs may have stayed in use. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Carloway
Historic Environment Scotland says broch towers had some defensive features, but were most likely built to show the status of the people who lived in them. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Beag Broch, history and stories UNESCO’s Tentative List entry says the use of brochs is debated. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tentative List, Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland
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How many brochs were there?
Historic Environment Scotland’s visitor pages say there are well over 500 brochs in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories Historic Environment Scotland’s Statement of Significance for Mousa says about 80 known sites meet its definition of a broch, though there may be many more. Historic Environment Scotland: Statement of Significance, Mousa Broch (last reviewed 2018)
The figures depend on what counts as a broch: see when sources disagree.
And when was Mousa built?
Historic Environment Scotland’s Mousa page says it is thought to have been built in about 300 BC. Historic Environment Scotland: Mousa Broch The Statement of Significance says Mousa’s building date has not been directly established: theories place it as early as 400 BC or as late as the 1st century AD. Historic Environment Scotland: Statement of Significance, Mousa Broch (last reviewed 2018)
Our sources give different dates: see when sources disagree.
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Iron Age brochs printables
Fact-checked PDFs in A4 and US Letter, for ages 7 to 11, ages 11 to 14, families, history fans and visitors.
Iron Age Brochs Junior Topic Pack
Ages 7 to 11, schools and families
Meet Mousa Broch, label a broch tower, how a broch was built, BC-or-AD sorting cards, put-it-in-order date cards, a true-or-false quiz, a crossword where every answer is a real fact, a word search, a comic strip, a broch to colour, a certificate and a full answer key
Iron Age Brochs History Detective Pack
Ages 11 to 14
When was Mousa Broch built, and why do the sources give different dates? Six short sources with their provenance, an evidence table, a dates task, how many brochs were there, questions the sources answer differently, and a judgement task, with full answers
Iron Age Brochs Family Activity Pack
Families, ages 5 and up
Colouring pages, a broch stair maze, spot-the-difference, design your own broch, Useless the Eraser’s broch jokes and a 20-question quiz to do together
Iron Age Brochs Spotter’s Field Guide
Adult history fans and travellers
How to read a broch, walls, stairs, galleries and the way in, broch villages and wheelhouses, 12 places with what Historic Environment Scotland says about them, a timeline, open questions and a checklist
Iron Age Brochs Visit Journal
Visitors of all ages
Before-you-go checklist, what-to-spot tick lists for outside and inside a broch, six sketch pages, a log for up to 12 visits, and a visit stamps page
Iron Age Brochs Timeline & Poster Set
Classrooms and home
Six poster pages: a timeline from about 2700 BC to 2023, a broch cut in half, three kinds of broch site, the way in, wheelhouses, and brochs in numbers
Best valueThe Complete Iron Age Brochs Printables Bundle
All six packs plus a bundle guide, A4 and US Letter, in one download. $12.99 instead of $26.44 bought separately.