Tap o’Noth

Yesterday we climbed to the highest hillfort in Scotland, Ben Griam Beg. Today we ascended to the second highest, Tap o’Noth, on the edge of the Grampians. Here the similarities end. Least of all the weather.

Though the hillfort was first excavated in the 19th century, archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen have recently uncovered its vast scale. It may be the largest Pictish settlement ever found in Scotland. Radiocarbon dating suggests the fort was built between the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Up to 4,000 people might have lived in more than 800 huts on the hillfort. These huts are not within the vitrified walls on the summit but cling to the upper slopes, each on its own platform. The archaeologists also discovered evidence of high-status activities at the site, such as drinking Mediterranean wine, using glass vessels from Western France, and engaging in intensive metalwork production. All this suggests the site may have had royal connections1”A spectacular hillfort overlooking a tiny Aberdeenshire village has been revealed as one of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland.” https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/14019/.

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    ”A spectacular hillfort overlooking a tiny Aberdeenshire village has been revealed as one of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland.” https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/14019/

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