 Brough of Birsay
Created by: * MacMorna Niafer, 2005-08-27 12:34:08
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BROUGH of BIRSAY
The Brough of Birsay is a small "tidal island", situated at the northwest corner of the largest of the Orkney Islands, the Mainland. At low-tide, the Brough can be reached by clambering over the exposed rocks. At high-tide, the sea sweeps through the gap and makes such a crossing impossible. The Brough is surrounded by jumbles of rock and steep cliffs. The level area is some twenty-one hectares, sloping from an elevation of 10 feet at the eastern end to 150 feet at the western cliffs. The base of the island is of old red sandstone with a thin (5 to 8 foot) layer of loess (wind-blown soil). Native grasses hold the soil in place, and there is a small pond near the center, which collects rainwater.
The earliest suspected visitors to the island were Neolithic hunter/gatherers, who made their camps on the nearby Mainland. It is also believed that the Brough was home to one of the very early Christian settlements, dating from around 400 AD. The Picts arrived some time after 600 AD, and established a thriving metalworking community. Remains of their hut circles, hearths, forges, a well or cistern, and numerous fragments of casting molds have been found at the lowest levels of excavation. Archaeological evidence suggests they worked at everything from iron tools and weapons to fine bronze jewelry.
The Norse appeared on the scene around 800 AD. It is unclear as to whether they displaced or absorbed the Pictish population. There were at least three major periods of Norse building, and it is the reamins of these buildings which can still be seen today. The most complete and recognizable structure is a church which was built about 1100. The Norse appear to have abandoned the island in the 1200’s, moving to fortified castles on the mainland.
It was near this church, in 1935, that the most exciting archaeological find on the island, was discovered. The Birsay Pictish Symbol Stone Was broken into a number of fragments and seemingly buried in the church cemetery. The stone displays three warriors with shield and spear, surmounted by an eagle, a "pictish beast" (an image with elements of both porpoise and seal). Above that are a decorated crescent and a "mirror case". Though the meaning of the symbols may never be known, the stone is further evidence that those we call Picts were not barbaric savages, as the Roman writers would have us believe.
Resources:
Pictish and Norse Finds at the Brough of Birsay 1934 – 74, C. F. Curle
Orkneyjar – The Brough of Birsay
The Orkney and Shetland Islands
Undiscovered Scotland – The Brough of Birsay
Map, text and graphics by MacMorna Niafer
Welcome to The Brough of Birsay (- posts)
