The Iron Age in Northern Britain: Britons and Romans, Natives and Settlers

437 Pages·2017·18.8 MB·English

by  Dennis W. Harding

THE IRON AGE IN NORTHERN BRITAIN
The Iron Age in Northern Britain examines the archaeological evidence for earlier Iron Age
communities from the southern Pennines to the Northern and Western Isles and the impact
of Roman expansion on local populations, through to the emergence of historically recorded
communities in the post-Roman period. The text has been comprehensively revised and
expanded to include new discoveries and to take account of advanced techniques, with many
new and updated illustrations. The volume presents a comprehensive picture of the ‘long Iron
Age’, allowing readers to appreciate how perceptions of Iron Age societies have changed sig-
nifi cantly in recent years.
New material in this second edition also addresses the key issues of social reconstruction,
gender, and identity, as well as assessing the impact of developer-funded archaeology on the
discipline. Drawing on recent excavation and research and interpreting evidence from key
studies across Scotland and northern England, T he Iron Age in Northern Britain continues to be
an accessible and authoritative study of later prehistory in the region.
Dennis W. Harding is Abercromby Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh.

THE IRON AGE IN
NORTHERN BRITAIN
Britons and Romans, Natives
and Settlers
Dennis W. Harding
First published 2004
by Maney Publishing
This second edition published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2004, 2017 Dennis W. Harding
The right of Dennis W. Harding to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted
by him/her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-12631-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-12630-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-64693-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of fi gures vii
List of colour plates xi
Preface xii
PART I
The legacy of the past 1
1 Introduction: the archaeological framework 3
PART II
The earlier Iron Age 23
2 Brigantia and northern England 25
3 The Borders and southern Scotland 74
4 Central and eastern Scotland 109
5 Argyll and Atlantic Scotland 145
PART III
The Roman Iron Age and its impact 193
6 Romanization to the northern frontier 195
7 Romanization between and beyond the frontiers 225
vi Contents
PART IV
The later Iron Age 251
8 The Borders and southern Scotland 253
9 Central and eastern Scotland 281
10 Argyll and Atlantic Scotland 304
PART V
Review and conclusion 339
11 Settlement and society: continuity and change 341
Abbreviations 360
Bibliography 362
Index 393
FIGURES
2.1 Location map of sites in northern England and the Borders 26
2.2 Metalwork and pottery from Castle Hill, Scarborough, Yorkshire 29
2.3 Palisaded settlements of the Yorkshire Wolds 30
2.4 Pottery and other artefacts from Staple Howe, Yorkshire 31
2.5 Paddock Hill, Thwing, Yorkshire, and its landscape 33
2.6 Map of eastern Yorkshire barrow cemeteries and burials 35
2.7 Scorborough, Yorkshire, barrow cemetery 36
2.8 Wetwang Slack, Yorkshire, Chariot Burials 1–3 37
2.9 Decorated scabbards from Yorkshire warrior burials 38
2.10 Pottery from eastern Yorkshire 40
2.11 Sutton Common, Yorkshire, plan of structural layout in earlier and later phases 43
2.12 Round-houses with two entrances and/or central four-post settings 44
2.13 Site M Micklefi eld, west Yorkshire 46
2.14 Ledston, west Yorkshire, air-photograph of enclosures and pits 47
2.15 Moss Carr, west Yorkshire, enclosure plans 48
2.16 Ring-groove and posthole round-houses in north-east England 53
2.17 Palisaded enclosures in northern England and southern Scotland 55
2.18 Settlements of the Northumberland coastal plain 59
2.19 Mam Tor, Derbyshire, air-photograph and interior 61
2.20 Ingleborough, Yorkshire, hillfort from the west 63
2.21 Grassington, Yorkshire, air-photograph of fi eld-system 64
2.22 Round-houses in north-west England 66
2.23 Carrock Fell, Cumbria, air-photograph and hillfort 69
2.24 Crosby Garrett, Westmorland, plan of native settlements 70
2.25 Ewe Close, Cumbria, air-photograph from the north-east 71
3.1 Location map of earlier Iron Age sites in Scotland 75
3.2 Hownam Rings, Roxburghshire, plan 76
3.3 Enclosed villages of south-east Scotland and the Borders 76
3.4 Gibb’s Hill, Dumfriesshire, air-photograph and outline plan 78
viii Figures
3.5 Blackbrough Hill, Roxburghshire, air-photograph 79
3.6 Woden Law, Roxburghshire, air-photographs 81
3.7 Chesters, Spott, East Lothian, air-photograph 83
3.8 Ayton, Berwickshire, multivallate cliff-edge enclosures, air-photograph 85
3.9 Hillforts with c hevaux-de-frise 87
3.10 Hownam Law, Roxburghshire, air-photograph 88
3.11 Greenbrough, Roxburghshire, air-photograph 90
3.12 High Knowes A, Alnham, Northumberland, air-photograph 91
3.13 Ring-ditch houses: plans 92
3.14 Milton Loch, Kirkcudbrightshire, crannog plan 95
3.15 Tamshiel Rig, Roxburghshire: plan 98
3.16 Settlements and land boundaries around Drem, East Lothian 99
3.17 Castlesteads, Midlothian 100
3.18 Woden Law East, Roxburghshire, air-photograph of palisaded enclosure
with cord-rig 102
3.19 Hut Knowe, Roxburghshire: plan with cord-rig fi elds 104
4.1 Abernethy, Perthshire, hillfort rampart 111
4.2 Oblong forts in eastern Scotland: plans 114
4.3 Finavon, Angus, hillfort rampart sections 115
4.4 Dunnideer, Aberdeenshire, from the east 116
4.5 Brown Caterthun, Angus: plan 118
4.6 Small multivallate forts in central and eastern Scotland 120
4.7 Round-houses in central Scotland and beyond 122
4.8 Culhawk, Angus, ring-ditch house plan 126
4.9 Unenclosed crop-mark settlements with souterrains in Perthshire 128
4.10 Stone round-houses in north-east Perthshire 130
4.11 Ring-works of Perthshire 131
4.12 Ederline Pier, Loch Awe, Argyll 134
4.13 Paired crannogs of Loch Tay and Loch Lomond 135
4.14 Kintore, Aberdeenshire: post-ring and ring-ditch round-houses 138
4.15 Culduthel, Inverness, ring-ditch and porched houses 140
4.16 Elevation drawing of split-roof round-house, based on Culduthel
ring-ditch House 4 141
5.1 Carloway, Lewis, complex Atlantic round-house 147
5.2 Mousa, Shetland, wall-head, parapet and intra-mural gallery 148
5.3 Atlantic round-houses with internal post-rings 149
5.4 Dun Troddan, Glenelg, Inverness-shire, showing stonework of
intra-mural gallery 151
5.5 Complex Atlantic round-houses with triangular entrance lintels 152
5.6 Complex Atlantic round-house ‘villages’ in Orkney 154
5.7 Brochs with outworks in the west 155
5.8 Duns with outworks in the west 156
5.9 Island dun in Loch an Duna, Bragar, Lewis: air-photograph 157
5.10 Island duns of North Uist 158
5.11 Island duns in Loch an Duin, Shader, Lewis: air-photograph 159
5.12 Bu and Howe, Orkney: comparative layout with entrances aligned 160
Figures ix
5.13 Bronze Age and Iron Age cellular structures in Shetland 162
5.14 Wells at Mine Howe and Gurness, Orkney 164
5.15 Beirgh, Riof, Lewis: pottery from post-complex Atlantic round-house,
pre-cellular phases 168
5.16 Dun Bharabhat, Cnip, Lewis: pottery 169
5.17 Dun Mor, Vaul, Tiree: pottery from early contexts 170
5.18 Dun houses in Argyll 173
5.19 Dun enclosures and small forts in Argyll 176
5.20 Dunagoil, Bute, general view and vitrifi ed wall of citadel 179
5.21 Dunagoil, Bute: plan 181
5.22 Dunagoil, Bute: pottery and other artefacts 182
5.23 Atlantic round-houses in cliff-edge enclosures 187
5.24 Blockhouses in Shetland 189
5.25 Clickhimin, Shetland, views of blockhouse 190
5.26 Burgi Geos, Shetland, air-photograph and sketch plan 192
6.1 Distribution of forts, towns and villas in northern England 202
6.2 Unit villas in northern England: plans 204
6.3 Holme House, Piercebridge, Yorkshire: plan 205
6.4 Iron Age and Romano-British round-houses with four-post settings 207
6.5 Wattle Syke, Yorkshire, late Roman-period settlement 211
6.6 Whitley Castle, Alston, Cumbria, Roman fort, air-photograph 215
6.7 Old Carlisle, Cumbria, Roman fort and vicus 218
6.8 Distributions of metalwork types 220
6.9 Stichill, Roxburghshire, collar 222
6.10 Romano-British brooches 223
7.1 Greaves Ash, Northumberland, native settlement: air-photograph 228
7.2 Castle O’er, Dumfriesshire, hillfort: air-photograph 230
7.3 Bailliehill, Dumfriesshire, hillfort: air-photograph 230
7.4 Burnswark, Dumfriesshire: air-photograph 234
7.5 Edin’s Hall, Berwickshire, broch and native settlement: air-photograph 236
7.6 Scottish cast bronze armlets 242
7.7 Distribution of massive armlets, snake armlets, knobbed armlets and
Donside terrets 243
7.8 Metalwork from Northern Britain and Ireland 246
7.9 Distribution of souterrains in Northern Britain 249
8.1 Location map of later Iron Age sites in Scotland 254
8 .2 Hillforts with later Iron Age defences 255
8.3 Nuclear and related forts: plans 259
8.4 Munro’s 1882 plans of Buiston and Lochlee crannogs 261
8.5 Distribution of E-ware and Continental glass in Britain and Ireland 265
8.6 The Latinus stone, Whithorn, Wigtownshire 267
8.7 Distribution of long cist cemeteries in Scotland 269
8.8 Halls and houses of the Anglian period 272
8.9 Lockerbie Academy Anglian hall 275
8.10 Grubenhäuser : comparative plans 276
8.11 Distribution of Anglian place-names and Pit-names 279