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The Archaeology of People: Dimensions of Neolithic Life, Whittle

The Archaeology of People: Dimensions of Neolithic Life, Whittle

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Mousa Broch - Broch or Nuraghe in Scotland in Shetland

Submitted by LizH on Monday, 13 June 2022  Page Views: 16484

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Mousa Broch
Country: Scotland County: Shetland Type: Broch or Nuraghe

Map Ref: HU457236  Landranger Map Number: 4
Latitude: 59.994726N  Longitude: 1.182612W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 2 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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I have visited· I would like to visit

DrewParsons Mazlow coin would like to visit

SandyG visited on 10th Jun 2019 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 3

SolarMegalith visited on 11th Jun 2015 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 3

MegalithJunkie saw from a distance on 21st Jun 2008 - their rating: Access: 1 The broch is on an island accessible only by boat. A local man operates a service to the island but on if the weather is favourable. It was unfavourable when I tried to visit

Jansold visited on 1st May 2005 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 2

jeffrep lizh have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4.33 Ambience: 5 Access: 2.25

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by Hamarberg : Mousa Broch, Shetland. The bane Mousa comes from Old Norse Mósey meaning "moor(island)" and Mousa Broch is recorded in both Egil's Saga and the Orkneyinga Saga as Móseyjarborg. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Mousa is an impressive site, the tallest and most intact broch anywhere in Scotland. It stands alone on an island which is otherwise inhabited only by wildlife. Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age fortification in the British Isles. The 2000 year old round tower stands above a rocky shoreline, one of a pair of brochs guarding Mousa Sound. They may be part of a chain of brochs in this part of Shetland, visible from each other as beacons.

The other of the "pair", at Burland on the Mainland is far less well preserved. Many brochs were the focus of a settlement, but there has never been a full archaeological investigation to confirm this at Mousa. It was cleared out in 1860 and 1919. Mousa has survived intact to such a height and is thought to never have been much higher than it is today. It escaped stone gathering for nearby stone walls and croft houses (now ruined).

The entrance passage into Mousa is long, reflecting the enormous thickness of its walls. At its base the broch is 15m in diameter, but the interior is only 6m in diameter. Within the huge thickness of the base of the walls are a range of chambers probably used for storage, while at higher levels passages run between the inner and outer skins of the wall. On the inside a steep flight of steps leads to the top of the wall. Half way up is a landing which probably gave access to an upper level of the interior of the broch, built on a ledge running around the circumference of the interior.

Source: Wikipedia

An investigation of aural space inside Mousa Broch, open access via Internet Archaeology, including the audio and video files, see the comments below for more details
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Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by h_fenton : Mousa Broch, Photographed August 1967. U. Fenton Uploaded with my mothers permission (Vote or comment on this photo)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Interior of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland (Vote or comment on this photo)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by LizH : Mousa Broch in the mist. Mousa is an impressive site, the tallest and most intact broch anywhere in Scotland. It stands alone on an island which is otherwise inhabited only by wildlife. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : Entrance and interior wall. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by durhamnature : Mousa Broch 1912, from Scottish Historical Review, via archive.org. From a slightly different angel to the modern photo, but showing little change between them. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Interior Wall Face of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland (1 comment)

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : View from the south east.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : View from west.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by optimistic20814 : Lovely on a sunny day

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Interior and entrance passage of Mousa broch (photo taken on June 2015).

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by howe : The broch situated by Burgi Ayre with Mainland in the background across Mousa Sound

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Looking into the Entrance of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : View from the boat.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : The ground floor.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : The narrow stairway built within the broch wall.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Mousa broch - view from the north (photo taken on June 2015).

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by durhamnature : Another picture of this photogenic site, from "Ancient man in Britain" via archive.org

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Approaching Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Internal Stairs Leading to the Parapet of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Parapet of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Broch Interior from the Top of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by jeffrep : Rear of Mousa Broch, South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch submitted by SandyG : View from the north.

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 259m ENE 68° Mousa Burnt Mounds* Artificial Mound (HU45942370)
 1.1km WSW 249° Burraland* Broch or Nuraghe (HU44682319)
 4.8km NNW 330° Broch of Mail* Broch or Nuraghe (HU43252779)
 5.2km WSW 242° Knowe Of Willil Burnt Mound* Artificial Mound (HU41122105)
 5.7km SW 228° Levenwick Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (HU415197)
 6.0km NNW 345° Clodie Knowe* Broch or Nuraghe (HU441294)
 6.3km NNW 335° Everglades North Broch or Nuraghe (HU43002930)
 7.1km SW 221° Knowe of Willol Burnt Mound* Artificial Mound (HU41091812)
 7.6km SW 225° Clumlie Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (HU404181)
 8.4km SW 236° Ward Of Scousburgh* Cairn (HU38791880)
 8.5km SW 216° Troswick* Standing Stone (Menhir) (HU40781662)
 9.2km WSW 254° St Ninian's Isle* Ancient Village or Settlement (HU36852090)
 9.3km SSW 213° Broch of Dalsetter* Broch or Nuraghe (HU40751567)
 10.5km SSW 213° Southvoe Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (HU400147)
 10.6km SW 214° Southvoe Burnt Mound* Artificial Mound (HU39821475)
 10.7km SW 228° Lunabister* Broch or Nuraghe (HU37791642)
 10.9km SW 223° Loch of Brow* Broch or Nuraghe (HU383156)
 11.9km NW 312° Papil Pictish Stone Cross Slab* Class III Pictish Cross Slab (HU368315)
 12.1km NW 320° East Burra, Yaa Field Standing Stone (Menhir) (HU3780532835)
 12.5km NW 317° West Burra, Mid Field Standing Stone (Menhir) (HU3700932591)
 12.5km NW 317° West Burra, Mid Field* Standing Stone (Menhir) (HU37003259)
 12.5km N 355° Broch of Burland* Broch or Nuraghe (HU44553607)
 13.4km NW 325° Gulver Knowe burnt mound* Artificial Mound (HU37893455)
 13.5km SSW 205° Brough Head Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (HU4020511242)
 13.6km N 350° Loch of Brindister* Stone Fort or Dun (HU43263701)
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Towers in the North: The Brochs of Scotland

Towers in the North: The Brochs of Scotland

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"Mousa Broch" | Login/Create an Account | 8 News and Comments
  
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BBC Radio Shetland: The Story Of Brochs by Andy B on Friday, 24 March 2017
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BBC Radio Shetland A History Of Shetland - The Story Of Brochs 51 mins

Daniel Lawson and a panel of experts discuss and discover the origin of Brochs, the Iron Age dry stone towers still visible today right around Scotland

https://soundcloud.com/bbcradioshetland/a-history-of-shetland-the-story-of-brochs-wednesday-1st-february-2017

http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/activities/radio-participation-bbc-radio-shetland-a-history-of-shetland-the-
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An Investigation of Aural Space inside Mousa Broch - Dave Thomas by Andy B on Monday, 17 October 2011
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An Investigation of Aural Space inside Mousa Broch by Observation and Analysis of Sound and Light - Dave Thomas

This project emphasises the unique character and construction of Mousa broch, questions the model of Mousa broch as a roofed home (an interpretation adopted by Historic Scotland in 2002) and considers the way in which sound and light informs our understanding of the spaces contained within its structure. Underpinning the approach to data collection was the architectural concept of aural space.

The author attempts to convey an impression of aural space inside Mousa broch by the creation of an audio-visual record supported by acoustic analysis, archaeological discussion, and an architectural breakdown of the spaces within the broch structure. Audio recordings, sound samples, photographs and movies were made on Mousa island and inside Mousa broch during the period of the Summer solstice of 2009.

The results of the analysis of reverberation times for selected spaces are unambiguous. Spaces inside the broch walls created by galleries, cells and the staircase of Mousa broch demonstrate short reverberation times. Acoustic analysis of audio samples support the conclusion that the broch's sonic character can be universally characterised as very dry or 'dead'. The thickness of the dry stone wall construction and the diffusing effect of its fractured surfaces on incoming sound waves influence the sonic character of the aural space.

Inside Mousa broch, sounds of at least 1000 Hz and upwards are not reflected but scattered, diffused by the edge surfaces and gaps between the stones in the walls. The author concludes that the influence of what could be called 'dry stone diffusion' found at Mousa broch will occur in all dry stone constructions, including other prehistoric brochs, roundhouses and monastic beehive cells. The identification of a characteristically 'dry' acoustic associated with dry stone construction allows us some insight into the acoustic environment shared by our ancestors in Atlantic Scotland.

Photographs and video recordings of the action of sunlight around the walls inside Mousa broch during the solstice period suggest that the broch may perform the function of an interface between ground and sky, a construction in which vertical void sets and stairs are component parts of a solar/celestial measuring device (this possibility remains to be investigated).

This article is published in the journal Internet Archaeology, and is Open Access, made possible by the generous support of Historic Scotland and see the appendices for the sound and video files.
http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue30/4/toc.html

The whole of the Internet Archaeology Journal will be 'Open Access' for duration of Open Access Week, 24-30 October 2011
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    Open Access Archaeology Journals by Andy B on Monday, 31 October 2011
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    Open Access Archaeology is custom Google search engine that searches specific journals and web resources that offer open access publications. It is currently in BETA testing and while it captures many open access publications occasional restricted access publications slip in. Your feedback could help correct this problem. Thank you.

    Use the Open Archaeology Search (OpenArch) to search through 260+ open access Archaeology publications.

    http://www.openaccessarchaeology.org/

    Here is a open access search engine of the 23 journals that went open access for open access week. Use it to search through the contents of the 23 journals.

    http://www.openaccessarchaeology.org/open-access-week

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Re: Mousa by jeffrep on Tuesday, 27 July 2010
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Condition: 4
Ambience: 5
Access: 2
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Re: Mousa by jeffrep on Tuesday, 27 July 2010
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Mousa Broch is located on the uninhabited island of Mousa, a mile or so off the east coast of Shetland's Mainland. Access is by passenger boat.

All agree that Mousa Broch is the finest surviving example of a broch in Scotland. Built some 2,000 years ago in the Iron Age from sandstone, it stands 42 feet high and measures 49 feet at the base tapering to 39 feet at the top. The walls are almost 15 feet thick. There are three large cells within the wall, and a stone staircase is also inside the wall.
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Re: Mousa by coldrum on Tuesday, 19 June 2007
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Historic Scotland Link:

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/properties_sites_detail?propertyID=PL_216
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Archaeoptics scan Mousa Broch by Andy B on Tuesday, 04 January 2005
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Mystery of ancient broch unlocked after 2000 years

A TEAM of archaeologists has helped unlock 2000-year-old secrets of an ancient tower described as one of the wonders of European archaeology.
Mousa Broch, located on the island of Mousa in Shetland, is one of the finest examples of an Iron Age tower or broch.
The impressive structure was used as a fortification when the islands were racked by warfare but was also mentioned in the sagas as an eloping lovers' hideout.
Experts used the latest laser scanning techniques to record every detail of the historic monument and check whether it has shifted or deteriorated over the years.

More: The Glasgow Herald
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Re: Mousa by JACKME on Thursday, 18 November 2004
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By far the best broc. You have to take a ferry to get there. The island is well worth a visit. book all day for the trip.
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