Dùn Èistean is a multi-period archaeological site on an inter-tidal

sea stack A stack or sea stack is a geology, geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by Coastal_erosion#Wave_action, wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and wate ...

on the north east coast of the Isle of Lewis, near the village of Knockaird (Cnoc Àrd, Nis) in the area of

Nis Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to: Places * Niš, a city in Serbia * Nis, Iran, a village * Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands Businesses and organizations * Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry o ...

(Ness) in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is accorded the status of traditional stronghold of

Clan Morrison Clan Morrison is a Scottish clan. The Highland Clan Morrison is traditionally associated with the Isle of Lewis and Harris (Leòdhas) around Ness (Nis), Dun Pabbay, and Barvas (Barabhas), lands in Sutherland around Durness, and in North Uist. ...

, once a highly powerful family within the

Lordship of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title ...

, in local oral tradition. The ruins of two large buildings and groups of interconnecting cellular structures can be seen amongst the grassy tussocks on the top of the island, as well as an artificial pond and a low turf wall enclosing the site. The most prominent feature of the site is a large circular mound of rubble situated on the highest point of the stack, on the north east side of the site. The topographical survey of the site shows these buildings. The island would have provided all that was needed for occupation, having its own fresh water supply in the form of the artificial pond, and numerous buildings serving an array of purposes, from storage to sleeping quarters.

Nordic history

Historically and archaeologically the Western Isles in the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

differed from mainland

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The Western Isles were culturally

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n and politically part of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

from c AD 800 to c AD 1300. There are a variety of physically similar sites to Dùn Èistean around the coast of Lewis and the southern Western Isles, many of which have been occupied or used at the same time. There is also evidence from these sites of activity in the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

or earlier prehistoric periods, and it is highly likely similar early evidence is awaiting discovery at Dùn Èistean below the later Dun and turf buildings. Scottish clan map

Conflicts

With the demise of the Norse political control of the Western Isles in the 13th century, powerful clans emerged. The local traditions and stories relating to Dùn Èistean, and the Clans of Morrison,

Macleod MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) which cited: are surnames in the English language. Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of '". One of the earliest occurrences of the surname is of Gi ...

and Macaulay in particular, emerge from this volatile and often violent period in Lewis’ history.

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...

of Harris and Lewis can traditionally be found from

Barvas Barvas (Scottish Gaelic: ''Barabhas'' or ''Barbhas'', ) is a settlement, community and civil parish on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It developed around a road junction. The A857 and A858 meet at the southern end of Barvas. North is the road ...

to the Port of Nis (Ness), and in the north-west Highlands in the county of Sutherland around the town of

Durness Durness ( gd, Diùranais) is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is ...

(Scottish Gaelic: Diùranais), together with their traditional allies

Clan Mackay Clan Mackay ( ; gd, Clann Mhic Aoidh ) is an ancient and once-powerful Highland Scottish clan from the far North of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old Kingdom of Moray. They supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish ...

. Their alternative names, or septs, include

Morison Morison is a surname found in the English-speaking world. It is a variant form of Morrison. It was one of the original ways of spelling the name of the Clan Morrison, before Morrison with two r's became popular. People with this surname * Charles ...

, Gilmore and MacGilleMhoire in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

. Almost all structures and finds from this

island date to within the period between the 16th and the 18th centuries, which is significant given that the forfeiture of the

occurred in the late 15th century and that the intermittent clan wars and strife which followed the power vacuum created by the disappearance of the central power of the region (a period known in Gaelic as "Linn nan Creach" or the 'Era of Strife') and that the highlands and islands came under tighter government control with the destruction of the Clan system following the failed Jacobite Rebellions of the 18th century. Dùn Èistean is now the focus of a multi-disciplinary project researching the history and archaeology of Ness under the auspices of the University of Glasgow Archaeological Research Division (GUARD).

External links

Home page for the Dùn Èistean Archaeology Project

Home page for GUARD Archaeology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dun Eistean Scheduled monuments in Scotland Hill forts in Scotland Viking Age populated places Former populated places in Scotland Archaeological sites in the Outer Hebrides Stacks of Scotland

Nordic history

Conflicts

See also

External links