Allasdale
Encyclopedia
Allasdale is a village on Barra
in the Western Isles, Scotland
.
In May 2007 Channel 4
's Time Team
came to investigate some prehistoric remains that had first been partly exposed when storms in October 2005 had blown away some sand dunes. The site had been previously investigated in 2006 by a rescue survey funded by Historic Scotland
.
Among the remains found were Bronze-Age
cist burials and plough-marks, and a hamlet
of Iron-Age
roundhouses and a wheelhouse on a par with those at Skara Brae
on the Orkney Isles. The programme featuring Allasdale was broadcast on 20 January 2008.
Maps
Photographs
Articles
Barra
The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...
in the Western Isles, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
came to investigate some prehistoric remains that had first been partly exposed when storms in October 2005 had blown away some sand dunes. The site had been previously investigated in 2006 by a rescue survey funded by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
.
Among the remains found were Bronze-Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
cist burials and plough-marks, and a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Iron-Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
roundhouses and a wheelhouse on a par with those at Skara Brae
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE...
on the Orkney Isles. The programme featuring Allasdale was broadcast on 20 January 2008.
External links
History- Time Team - Barra, Western Isles pages
Maps
- Location map (Ordnance Survey)
Photographs
- Beach at Allasdale (Geograph - taken September 2006)
Articles
- "Time Team finds Bronze Age relics on Barra dunes" (Sunday Herald - June 2007)
- "Barra find dates back to Bronze Age" (Stone Pages Archaeo News - December 2006)