Things people “know” about brochs

Myth Brochs were built all over Britain.

Fact 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

Myth Brochs were simply forts for war.

Fact 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

Myth Everyone agrees how many brochs there were.

Fact 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)

Myth Everyone agrees when Mousa was built.

Fact 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)

Myth The Vikings built the brochs.

Fact Brochs first appeared about 2,300 years ago. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Beag Broch, history and stories Vikings from Norway settled at Jarlshof in the 800s. Historic Environment Scotland: Jarlshof, history and stories

Myth A broch is just a heap of stones.

Fact 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

Myth Nobody used brochs after the Iron Age.

Fact Excavations suggest Dun Carloway may have been used until about AD 1000. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Carloway Dun Carloway has also been a pottery kiln, a shelter for the Morrisons of Ness in the 1500s (according to tradition) and a family home as late as the 1870s. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Carloway, history and stories

Myth All brochs are the same size.

Fact Mousa has the smallest diameter of any broch tower, but much thicker walls. Historic Environment Scotland: Mousa Broch, history and stories Edin’s Hall, one of very few Lowland brochs, is 22 m across, much larger than a typical Highland broch. Historic Environment Scotland: Edin’s Hall Broch, history and stories

Myth Archaeologists have dug every broch.

Fact Dun Dornaigil’s interior has never been dug by archaeologists. Historic Environment Scotland: Dun Dornaigil Broch, history and stories The same Statement says estimates of possible broch sites range from 150 to 600, but most have not been investigated and the ways of judging them vary. Historic Environment Scotland: Statement of Significance, Mousa Broch (last reviewed 2018)

Myth We know exactly how brochs were built.

Fact How brochs were built is still argued about by architects, engineers and archaeologists. Historic Environment Scotland blog: Getting the measure of brochs (18 October 2019)