Site Details:
Barra Hill
Perth, NO 262 504; 210 metres
Site of a pre-historic fort also where the Battle of Barra was fought in 1308 between King Robert The Bruce and Comyn of Buchan.
'The most prominent feature of this site is the ruin of a huge and strong wall, originally timber-laced and now partly vitrified, forming an enclosure of regular plan with parallel sides and semicircular ends, area of about 0.2 hectares. There is apparently no entrance. Outside it are some additional enclosures, which can be best understood from the plan. These suggest that the vitrified fort has been built over the remains of an earlier structure. Essentially, this seems to have been protected mainly by natural crags on the north, and on the sides by a huge bank, mostly built up with material from a large quarry ditch set some way behind it, but also using a natural hump at the east end. The entrance was between this and the top of the crags. At the west end, the irregularity of the ground combined with the superimposition of the stone fort makes it impossible to work out the arrangements from surface investigation; there may have been another entrance about here through the south bank. The artificial pool is outside the defences, for the banks which enclose it are very slight.' - AHA Hogg, Hill-forts of Britain
Excavations have uncovered items such as pottery, flint tools, and cereal remains, indicating the site's long-term occupation and use. These artifacts provide valuable insights into the daily lives and activities of the people who lived there. Additionally, the fort's construction phases suggest it was an important site during both the Iron Age and the Pictish period. These findings help archaeologists understand the historical significance of Barra Hill and its role in ancient societies.
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