Dun Ardtreck

Dun Ardtreck is a D-shaped dun, or 'semi-broch', situated on a rocky knoll on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. It encloses an area of about 13 by 10 metres. It was constructed with a ruidmentary hollow-wall. The entrance is particularly well-preserved with door-checks characteristic of brochs. The entrance to a guard cell led off to the right behind the door-checks.

Dun Ardtreck was excavated by Euan W. MacKie in 1964-1965 as part of an exercise to establish the development of the broch. It had been built in two stages: a roughly level platform was constructed and on this was set the galleried wall. Charcoal from the platform was radiocarbon dated to 115 BC. The first phase of occupation seems to have been very short and it appears to have ended in violence and destruction. The second phase was dated from the pottery finds to the middle of the 2nd century AD. The finds from this period included iron tools, bronze ornaments and glass ring-heads as well as Roman Samian ware pottery sherds and a piece of a Roman bead.

Address
Isle of Skye, United Kingdom

Established
115 BC