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The second and final volume of this descriptive corpus of the Iron Age brochs and allied sites of Scotland covers the whole of the mainland and all of the western islands - the Inner and Outer Hebrides - and is about twice the size of volume 1. The amount of new data presented here is very much larger than in volume 1 (Orkney and Shetland), partly because there are many more sites to describe but mainly for the reason that - with the exception of the Outer Hebrides - the large number and variety of sites in the areas covered tend to be much less well known than those of the Northern Isles; very few sites in this vast area have been subjected to modern excavation. The main purpose of this work is to present in easily accessible form a much larger proportion of the archaeological evidence for the remarkable Scottish Atlantic Iron Age structures known as brochs and wheelhouses than is currently conveniently available. Another hope is that this compendium will encourage many more archaeologists from outside Scotland to take an interest in the subject, and in particular to bring the material to the attention of their students. ... Read more

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Surveying Roman Military Landscapes across Northern Britain. Contents: Preface (David J. Breeze); Introduction (John Poulter); Report No. 1: The Planning of Roman Dere Street from the Vale of York to Newstead by the Tweed (John Poulter); Report No. 2: The Planning of Hadrians Wall and the Vallum (John Poulter); Report No. 3: The Planning of the Antonine Wall in Scotland (John Poulter); Supplementary Report: Mapping Matters with the Antonine Wall (Peter McKeague). ... Read more

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High-lights of an archaeological survey undertaken by RCAHMS in conjunction with the National Trust for Scotland from prehistoric to the present day. ... Read more

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These fourteen papers are taken from a conference held in Newcastle in 1998, focusing on the state of research in the prehistory of Northern England and Southern Scotland. Contents: Patterns in later Prehistory (Jan Harding); Towards a new prehistory for central Britain (Paul Frodsham); The Neolithic that never happened? (Clive Waddington); Wety Drybridge (Kenneth Brophy); Prehistoric cairnfields in Northumberland (Robert Johnston); Later prehistoric settlement in the northern uplands (Robert Young); Iron Age landscape in lowland East Yorkshire (Peter Halkon & Martin Millett); Recent research in the central Tweed Valley (Alicia Wise); Later Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in North-east England (Blaise Vyner); Neolithic and Bronze Age in the lowlands of North West England (Ron Cowell); Prehistoric settlement in northern Cumbria (Mike McCarthy); Iron Age in the southern Pennines (Bill Bevan); Later prehistoric settlement in west central Scotland (Derek Alexander); Site morphology and regional variation in south-west Scotland ... Read more

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As its title might suggest, this volume sets out to present a new view of Scotland's Neolithic as seen via its monumental structures. The papers brought together here came out of a research day at Cardiff University's School of History and Archaeology in January 2002 and cover a diverse number of topics. They raise questions of ancestry and worldview, and highlight the amount that can be done in examining the settings of monuments. Contents include: Not my type: discourses in monumentality (Kenneth Brophy); The 'henge' and 'hengiform' in Scotland (G. J. Barclay); Choreographed monumentality: recreating the centre of other worlds at the monumental complex of Callanish, western Lewis (Cole Henley); Between a rock and a hard place: rock art and mimesis in Neolithic and Bronze Age Scotland (Andy Jones). ... Read more

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This text is part of a series that provides an introduction to the archaeological heritage of Scotland. Each book tells the human story of one part of Scotland, tracing human impressions on the landscape from World War II relics back to the earliest pioneer days of settlement. The details are filled in by a gazetteer of the most interesting and best preserved monuments and each edition also features a full-colour excursions section with easy-to- follow trips. From Culloden battlefield to Fort George, this edition testifies to the Highland's turbulent past which was dominated by the Highland chiefs and forms such an integral part of Scottish heritage. The great diversity of buildings and monuments celebrated here provides an illustrated history of life in the Highlands; how people lived and what they have built. ... Read more

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Really terrific summary of area.
Recommended if you are spending any time in a particular area of scotland, this entire series is well-organized and comprehensive about what to see.See my review in the Edinburgh title of this series for chapter contents and more. ... Read more

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From 1136 until 1709, when its last coins were struck in Edinburgh shortly after the union with England, Scotland had a coinage of its own. Providing a survey of Scottish coins, this book features hoards, excavation finds and documentary evidence to build up a picture of coin use - particularly in medieval and early-modern Scotland, but also during the Roman occupation and the Viking period. The illustrations are taken from the famous Hunterian Collection in Glasgow. ... Read more

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one of the best archaeology books!
Mesolithic Lives in Scotland is one of the best books about archaeology I've read - and, I'm an archaeologist!It is aimed at students, and is written in clear and accessible prose.Each chapter has a nice, and humorous, coda imagining the questions a student would ask, and providing responses to those questions.The book is theoretically sophisticated, without the inaccessible (and annoying) theoretical jargon.The details about life in Mesolithic Scotland, and about both the materials archaeologists use to reconstruct those lives, and the ways that archaeologists examine, analyze, and interpret those materials are up-to-date, accurate, and help the reader to understand the archaeological process.In the end, we understand better how archaeologists can learn about prehistoric peoples.Most importantly, those Mesolithic people in Scotland come alive. ... Read more

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Steeped in history and renowned for the beauty of its landscape, Scotland offers fertile ground for archaeology enthusiasts to explore.In this authoritative guide, Anna and Graham Ritchie provide fascinating coverage of over 250 ancient Scottish sites, including tombs, forts, cairns, churches, standing stones, and Viking settlements, dating from earliest times to 1200 AD.Arranged geographically within ten different areas, Scotland makes discovering these sites both enjoyable and intelligible.Amazon.com Review
If you consider yourself an archeological traveler, Scotlandhas much to offer, with its Viking settlements, standing stones, andRoman fortresses. This edition of the Oxford Archeological series willhelp you distinguish your brochs from your oghams, yourmottes from your souterrains--and tell you where to findthe best examples of each.

Chosen for their good condition,interest to the visitor, and accessibility, the 150 sites includeddate to A.D. 1200 and are arranged alphabetically by region: Dumfriesand Galloway; Borders; Lothians and Edinburgh; from the Clyde to theForth; Fife, Angus, Stirling, and Perthshire; Argyll and Bute;Aberdeenshire and Moray; Highland South; Highland North; The NorthernIsles; and the Western Isles. Each listing includes driving directionsand a grid reference to the site's location on the Ordnance SurveyLandranger map (which is not included in the book). Many entriesare illustrated with site plans, maps, diagrams, and some of thebetter photographs in this Oxford series. Useful introductions helpset each site within the context of human development, coveringdomestic life, transport, art, and war. Here's an example from awrite-up on the Chesters fort near Drem:

Thesurprising aspect of this fort is its location, which shows a totaldisregard for defensive strategy. It lies at the foot of a ridge atthe mercy of attackers on higher ground with the advantage ofoverlooking the interior of the fort. This apparently suicidal choiceof location must imply that prestige rather than defence was the majorconcern. With the economic wealth of this fertile coastal plan attheir command, the Chesters community may have had no fear ofattack.

Customer Reviews (2)

I wish ... I wish ... I wish
I've travelled to Scotland twice now and O how I wish I'd had this book with me during those trips.I love exploring historical sites when I'm vacationing, especially the ancient ones ... and this guide would have been so helpful, both in terms of trip planning AND in terms of helping me learn as much as possible about the sites I visited.

With well over 1000 castles alone, Scotland is a land VERY rich in archaelogical sites ranging from stone aged to Roman to WWII ... so rich, in fact, that you often don't realize when you're driving or walking right past something interesting.This book will definitely help youdetermine what potential points of interest lie along the path of your travels and evaluate which one are likely to be of greatest interest to you.I used this book after my trips to learn about places we went (which was fun) and was surprised to learn how much we didn't even know we'd missed.The map coordinates and general location information will help you find some of the "less obvious" sites (many such sites don't have big signs that direct you to them from the road) and the write ups will give you at least some information about the site itself.

I've also found that using this sort of guide (Scotland or other countries) in conjunction with other historical resources (web sites, maps, other books, etc.) was particularly useful.The OAG helped me figure out a "long list" of sites I might want to visit and my other resources then provided more in depth information about these places so I could narrow my list down to a final selection.

If you enjoy traveling to and visiting ancient sites, the OAG's are definitely a tool you'll want to keep handy.

A fabulous resource.
I've used this book extensively on two trips to Scotland. It provides information (including directions to get to the sites) on a wide range of interesting subjects. It was one of the primary sources for planning six weeks of travel. For anyone even slightly interested in Scottish antiquities, this is THE place to start. ... Read more

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In 1988 extensive archaeological investigations began at Glasgow Cathedral revealing evidence for the first cathedral built in 1136 and subsequent 12th century phases. This report outlines the history of the building before outlining the results of the excavations and buildings analysis that took place in the nave, crypt, choir, treasury and west towers. The finds, including architectural stonework, coffins and coffin furniture, metalwork, coins and pottery, and skeletal remains are discussed in detail. ... Read more

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This survey gives an accessible and broad-ranging synthesis of the history and archaeology of Tain, and aims to inform conservation guidance for future development. Situated in Easter Ross and overlooking the Dornoch Firth, the historic burgh of Tain developed as a pilgrimage destination in the fourteenth century. Tain lay at the centre of an 'Immunity' around the shrine of St Duthac, where sanctuary could be sought. Both King James II and James III made pilgrimages to the shrine, and in 1588 its status as a royal burgh was confirmed. In the post-Reformation period Tain grew to become one of the principal towns in north-east Scotland, for much of the time the county town of Ross-shire and with architecture to suit that status. In the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the town flourished as a social, cultural and business centre; the first bank opened in 1791, the most northerly national bank in the country, and in 1813 the well-respected Academy was established, attracting pupils from a wide area. The book examines Tain's historic development through the medieval period, the significance of the shrine and immunity, and its transformation into a commercial centre. The town has received very little archaeological investigation and the authors consider where the areas of archaeological potential lie, in order to inform the future management of Tain's historic environment. Distinctive building types are identified and the characterisation of the town is mapped. This book is part of the Scottish Burgh Survey - a series funded by Historic Scotland designed to identify the archaeological potential of Scotland's historic towns. ... Read more

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This book provides a reassessment of the peoples who lived in Scotland from 1500BC to 200AD. Although there are few historical sources there is a great deal of archaeological evidence for life and society in this period. The author weaves this evidence into a picture of the lives, the beliefs, the customs of those distant times. It was an age both of war, and of peaceful settlement, an age of animal and, occasionally, human sacrifice in a Scotland far different from that of today. The author also looks at climate and environment and the evidence that, even then, man was profoundly changing the landscape he lived in. ... Read more