Questions people actually ask
Short answers, each with its source. Longer ones live on the topic pages.
What is a broch?
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
Where are brochs found?
Brochs are found only in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories Most brochs are in northern and western Scotland and the islands. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories
How old are brochs?
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
How many brochs are 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)
Which broch is the tallest?
Mousa Broch is the tallest and best-preserved Iron Age tower in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Mousa Broch Historic Environment Scotland’s Mousa page says it stands 13 m tall. Historic Environment Scotland: Mousa Broch
Were brochs forts?
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
What is a wheelhouse?
Wheelhouses are named for roofs held up by walls that spread out like the spokes of a wheel. Historic Environment Scotland: Jarlshof, history and stories UNESCO’s entry says the three sites show over 1,000 years of building from 400 BC: broch, roundhouses, then wheelhouses. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tentative List, Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland
Which brochs still stand close to their full height?
Only four brochs still stand close to their original height: Dun Telve, Dun Troddan, Mousa and Dun Carloway. Historic Environment Scotland: Glenelg Brochs, history and stories
Is Mousa a World Heritage Site?
Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof together are on the UK’s Tentative List for World Heritage, as “the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland”. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tentative List, Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland On 10 April 2023 the UK Government announced seven sites it backs for World Heritage, including the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland. DCMS on GOV.UK: Seven sites confirmed in the running for UNESCO World Heritage Status (10 April 2023)
Where does this fit in the national curriculum?
The word “broch” does not appear in the national curriculum in England. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study At KS2, pupils in England study “changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age”; one non-statutory example is “Iron Age hill forts: tribal kingdoms, farming, art and culture”. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study
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