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Brochs are Scotland's most impressive prehistoric
buildings, dating from around 2100 to 1900 years ago,
the time of the Roman invasion of Britain. There
are over 500 of these iron age structures in Scotland, but
it
is only to the north and west, where stone was more readily
available than timber, that brochs are to be found in any
numbers.
Huge windowless towers, ingeniously engineered, they
represent the pinnacle of dry-stone wall building, and
remain one of the finest construction achievements of Iron
Age Europe.
Brochs were almost certainly originally roofed and had
several timber floors.
Most likely, brochs
combined a number of possible uses, such as defensive
fortifications and farm buildings, and served differing purposes
in different ages. However, that brochs sprang up during the Roman
invadion of Britain is not coincidence.
When you consider that the best weapons at the time were
swords, bows, and spears, they were more than adequate
as defensive forts. Were they successful? Some may claim they had
poor defensive qualities, but remember this, Scotand was never
conquered by the Romans.
 The
densest concentrations of brochs are in Sutherland,
Caithness, the Orkney islands, and the Shetland islands,
with a great number in the Hebrides, from the west coast of
Lewis to Skye. There are also a few scattered around the borders,
Dumfries and Galloway, and near Stirling.
With much still to be learned about the Scottish people at
that time, and the effect the Romans landing in England
in 55 BC had on them, the
origins of brochs remains a subject of continuing
research and lively debate. It is hoped this site will help
to dispel a few of the myths surrounding them.
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