Rampant Scotland Directory! Archaeology in Scotland covers sites which go back to the days before recorded history when the standing stones, stone circles and megalithic burial chambers were being constructed, through the Roman occupation to mediaeval times. There is a separate page for all the Castles of Scotland.
The Council for Scottish Archaeology is an independent organization which works to improve public awareness of Scotland's rich archaeological heritage and to promote the study, care and appreciation of the historic environment. The site covers education, conservation and fact sheets. This project is investigating the region surrounding the Roman Fort of Trimontium near Newstead, on the River Tweed. It produced an outstanding collection of Roman artefacts, from humble wooden tent pegs to highly decorated military parade helmets, all now in the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh. The Scottish section of Roman Military Sites in Britain provides brief details of lots of locations, including sections on Scotland, together with a useful map leading to the location of each of them. Falkirk Wheel has information on the Antonine Wall. Roman Gask Project in Perthshire is uncovering the earliest Roman frontier in Britain, built in the 80's AD, 40 years before Hadrian's Wall and 60 years before the Antonine Wall. The web site has maps, a gazetteer and bibliography together with links to other related web pages. Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society fosters an interest in archaeology and has carried out field work at Fast Castle in Berwick. The search for the Blessing of Burntisland the King Charles I shipwreck off Burntisland and the sunken treasure trove has been described as "Britain's Tutankhamun". The site gives regular updates on the progress of the search. There is a Web site illustrating the well preserved sections of the Roman remains of the Antonine Wall at Hillfoot Cemetery and the Roman Fort and Bathhouse in Bearsden, on the outskirts of Glasgow. Bostadh Beach, Bernera has late Iron-Age houses replicating life in the Pictish period on the Isle of Lewis. Glasgow Network of Aligned Sites site puts forward the case for the existence of a network of interlocking, aligned prehistoric sites in Glasgow which creates a framework of prehistoric communication lines. Whether you agree with the the proposition or not, the site certainly provides a lot of information on such historic sites in Glasgow. This is a centre for archaeology and landscape interpretation and provides resources for environmental education. It won the Scottish Museum of the Year Award in 1998. The museum opened in 1997 and tells the story of Scotland's early years. But the museum, in a former manse north of Lochgilphead, is also surrounded by history in the form of burial mounds, standing stones dating from the bronze age and the remains of ancient forts. One of the forts, Dunadd, may have been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dalriada. Over 100 of the Kilmartin Monuments are reviewed and illustrated and can be accessed via an Interactive Map
This is a Scottish Office resource which provides information and material relating to archaeology, ancient monuments and historical buildings. The Computer Application for National MOnuments Record Enquiries (CANMORE) is a searchable database of the National Monuments Record of Scotland with over 120,000 site entries. You need to register to use the database.
Historic Scotland has created a Web site containing detailed reports on a number of archaeological excavations in Scotland. Sections include the Cistercian house of Dundrennan Abbey, excavations at Kelso and Peebles, fieldwork on Hebridean coastal sites, a geophysical survey of the 12th-century seat of the Earl Haakon Paulsson on Orkney, excavations at a prehistoric house and early medieval buildings in Caithness and a survey of the Neolithic long barrow at Capo. This is the site for a company which provides a range of archaeological services throughout Scotland and Northern England. Included on the site are pages on recent sites which have been excavated including a Bronze Age cist burial from Fife; Doune Roman Fort; St Nicholas Chapel, Papa Stronsay, Orkney; Arnol blackhouse project, Isle of Lewis; Castle Park Dunbar; and the New Scottish Parliament Site.
Produced by a Scots company, this is an interactive world-wide archaeology club. Each bi-monthly magazine issue introduces archaeology in straightforward terms and membership allows access to an active notice board on which you can post and reply to queries. While these pages have articles (no graphics other than the front page of the printed version of the magazine) on a wide range of UK archaeology, quite a number refer to specific aspects of archaeology in Scotland. If you are interested in all of them, great, but if you want to just look at those relating to Scotland, here they are!
In addition to describing the individual towns and villages, Buchan Community Web also has pages on items of interest from the area such as Book of Deer (a ninth century manuscript with additions in Scots Gaelic - the earliest known) and the Abbey of Deer. Castles in the area include Clackriach and Fedderate. The history of Captain Fraser's White Horse an area cut into the hillside commemmorating the man who gave Captain Fraser his horse in the heat of battle. The Standing Stones at Strichen are described in detail.
33 brochs, hill forts, stone circles, standing stones and cairns are described in this well illustrated guide. There is an active map showing where to find these sites around Scotland, a glossary, travel tips and links to other archaeology sites. Included are such well known locations as Callanish on the Isle of Lewis,
Skara Brae and
Isbister (Tomb of the Eagles) and Comet Stone all in Orkney and
Cairnpapple in West Lothian Ancient Places of Scotland has notes and illustrations of Pictish Symbol Stones (Maiden Stone and Brandsbutt Stone, Grampian), Stone Circles (Loanhead of Daviot, Candle Hill at Insch and Dunnideer, Grampian), Burial Sites (Cairn Holy, Galloway) and Hillforts (Dunnideer Hillfort, Grampian).
This is an excellent collection of photographs of standing stones and megalithic remains, emphasising the mystical aspects of these reminders of the ancient inhabitants of Scotland. Sites in Orkney, Caithness, Loch Ness and the Western Isles are covered in an illustrated narrative (with larger versions of the graphics also available) and there are instructions on how to get to the various sites too. The sites include:
The site also contains links to many other Web sites and based on these there is a master index of All Known Stone Circles (not just in Scotland) which can be accessed via a map or by a list. There are hyperlinks to pages featuring each megalithic or other prehistoric site.
Descriptions and illustrations of the standing stones and cairns around Scotland, organised by regions:
This site contains sections on Grave Slabs and Pictish Stones and Stone Circles and Cairns as well as a large collection of Scottish Castles, Manors and Abbeys with a vast library of pictures. The castles are listed in the Scottish Castles page of this directory and the Pictish Stones, stone circles and cairns covered are:
Based in Orkney, Charles Tait, a professional photographer, has used his skills to provide some excellent graphics to accompany his descriptions of a number of aspects of Orkney including Maeshowe, a mound with an inner tomb of stones of slabs set together and finished - in 2750BC. Then there is his Orkney Guide Book which makes you want to visit the islands and see for yourself the wonders he is describing - just what a guide book should do! A beautifully illustrated site providing a comprehensive picture of these islands. First of all, even the thumbnails in Sigurd's Portfolio of Orkney are excellent, far less the larger size graphics. And with around 40 of them, there is a lot to see. There is an extensive illustrated coverage of Orkney History and from the archaeological point of view these include :
As can be seen from the pages listed below, this is a very large site with lots of information and illustrations (thumbnails leading to larger versions) of the Pictish and other ancient sites in Scotland. From the end of May to the end of July, 1998, Paola and Diego made a tour of about 150 Scottish prehistoric sites. This work is in coordination with SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network) with the intention of producing an educational website and a CD-ROM about the stone monuments of Scotland.
Archaeolink is an award winning living history park and visitor attraction, with a central focus on education, participation and fun in the shadow of the dramatic Bennachie mountain range, near Insch and between Huntly and Inverurie. Learn with "living history" how people lived in the area 10,000 years ago and through the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages to the time of the Romans. The Scottish Crannog Centre at Oakbank Crannog (Loch Tay - Perthshire) is a reconstruction of a lochside dwelling over 2,500 years old and was built by the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology (STUA). The crannog and its availability to the public and the underwater archaeology are covered on the Website.  |
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
