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Green Castle, Portknockie
Green Castle is a naturally defended rocky outcrop in the village of Portknockie in Moray, Scotland, that was occupied successively by small promontory forts of the Iron Age and Pictish periods. The site forms a rocky headland long and wide, surrounded by steep cliffs rising high above the sea. The site was extensively excavated between 1976 and 1982. During the Iron Age a single palisade was built to protect the headland at its landward side. Traces of the slot created by these timbers, together with an Iron Age sherd and pits have been excavated. This occupation period produced evidence of metalworking, including fragments of moulds, furnaces, hammerstones and whetstones. Ard marks over the upper surfaces of Iron Age archaeological layers suggest that the site was then used for agriculture before being reused for defensive purposes during the Pictish period. A new timber palisade backfilled by beach cobbles marked a first phase of Pictish activity on the site. The fort wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Promontory Fort
A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to date to the Iron Age. They are mainly found in Brittany, Ireland, the Orkney Islands, the Isle of Man, Devon, the Channel Islands and Cornwall. Ireland Only a few Irish promontory forts have been excavated and most date to the Iron Age, though some, like Dunbeg Fort (County Kerry) might have originated in the Bronze Age. Others, like Dalkey Island (County Dublin) contain imported Eastern Mediterranean pottery and have been reoccupied and changed in the early medieval period. Some, like Doonmore (near Dingle, County Kerry) are associated with the Middle Ages. Dunbeg contains an early medieval corbelled stone hut (clochán). Isle of Man On the Isle of Man, promontory forts are found particularly on the rocky slate headlands of the south. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
