Description

The monument comprises a promontory fort, probably dating to the Iron Age (800 BC to AD 500). The fort encloses an area of about 67m from north to south by about 30m. Its southern extent is defined by the remains of a substantial wall extending across the southern end of a rocky ridge. The wall continues some distance along the western side. The monument lies on a rocky ridge overlooking the sea, at about 10m above sea level. 

The enclosing wall measures up to about 3.7m thick, and the rubble core stands up to about 0.6m in height. There is an entrance gap, measuring about 2m wide, on the south-southeast. No internal features relating to the original use of the fort are visible, though the remains of a later stone-and-turf enclosure can be seen within the monument. 

The scheduled area is irregular. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past as a promontory fort dating to the Iron Age (800 BC – AD 400). It has the potential to add to our understanding of Iron Age society in western Scotland and the function, use and development of promontory forts and other defended sites. The monument survives as upstanding turf-and-stone walls and there is significant potential for the survival of buried archaeological deposits within and around the site. It can significantly add to our understanding of domestic settlement, society, agriculture and economy during the Iron Age. It is one of a series of coastal Iron Age forts in this area (such as Torr a' Mhanaich, fort (SM10559), Dun Ban, fort (SM10556), and Dun Ara, fort, castle, harbour and depopulated settlement (SM10679)). Together, these monuments can tell us about the nature of coastal settlement, economy and population during the later prehistoric period in western Scotland and more widely. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Bibliography:

RCAHMS (1980) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona), Edinburgh, 78-9, No. 138.

trove.scot

https://www.trove.scot/place/21853/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland