<< Our Photo Pages >> Nybster Broch - Broch or Nuraghe in Scotland in Caithness

Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 19 May 2011  Page Views: 11037

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Nybster Broch
Country: Scotland County: Caithness Type: Broch or Nuraghe
Nearest Town: Wick  Nearest Village: Canisbay
Map Ref: ND37026314
Latitude: 58.551750N  Longitude: 3.08389W
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
 2 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.
 3 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
 5

Internal Links:
External Links:

I have visited· I would like to visit

tlcearth Orcinus would like to visit

SolarMegalith visited on 15th Jul 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 5 Access: 4

h_fenton Andy B have visited here

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by h_fenton : Oblique kite aerial photograph of Nybster Broch viewed from the northwest. 10 May 2011 @ 7.34am (Vote or comment on this photo)
Nybster broch, sitting on a high, narrow promontory above the sea is one of the most impressive brochs in Caithness. It is surrounded by buildings, some of which have now tumbled over the edge of the cliff.

2011 sees the commencement of a major new programme of community archaeological research, centred around the broch village complex at Nybster, Auckengill, Caithness.

Nybster Broch was originally excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry about 1900, revealing neither guard chamber nor mural cells. It has in internal diameter of 23ft and a wall thickness of 14ft. In 1910 the max height of the walls was 5ft 3ins.

Finds included a fragment of 2nd century Samian ware, as well as the more usual bone and stone objects.

A monument to its excavator, Sir Francis Tress Barry, sits on the landward side of the broch.

Source: Highland HER

Note: Initial findings from the Nybster community archaeology project and how to join the second session in August
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by h_fenton : Vertical kite aerial photograph of Nybster Broch. 10 May 2011 @ around 7.50am This is a stitched photo as I didn't manage to get a vertical photo which showed the whole broch and the end of the promontory which it sits on. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Interior of the broch in Nybster and view towards the sea (phto taken on July 2011). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Wall of the Iron Age broch tower in Nybster and view towards the sea (photo taken on July 2011). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Stunning location of a broch on a promontory (photo taken on July 2011). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Outer wall of the broch and remains of the outbuildings (photo taken on July 2011).

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Entrance passage to the broch - view from the north (photo taken on July 2011).

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by Andy B : The excavation in progress Image copyright AOC Archaeology

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by h_fenton : The interior of Nybster broch, also showing the entrance passageway. 10 May 2011

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Remains of Pictish buildings around the broch (photo taken on July 2011).

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by SolarMegalith : Nybster broch - view from the west (photo taken on July 2011).

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by Andy B : Deturfing begins to start the excavation Image copyright AOC Archaeology

Nybster Broch
Nybster Broch submitted by durhamnature : Plan of the broch from "Report on inventory of Scottish Monuments...Caithness" via archive.org

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Click here to see more info for this site

Nearby sites

Click here to view sites on an interactive OS map

Key: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed

Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)

To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.


Turn off the page maps and other distractions

Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 601m NNW 338° Watenan Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (ND36806370)
 644m NNW 329° Caithness Broch Centre* Museum (ND367637)
 2.5km SW 219° Whitegate Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (ND35416120)
 2.7km SW 219° Keiss Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (ND35316108)
 2.7km SW 232° Kirk Tofts* Broch or Nuraghe (ND34886151)
 4.5km N 7° Freswick Links* Broch or Nuraghe (ND37616761)
 5.8km NNE 23° Skirza Head Broch or Nuraghe (ND39406844)
 6.6km N 0° Warth Hill* Stone Circle (ND37156979)
 8.0km NNW 328° Brabstermire Broch or Nuraghe (ND32856993)
 8.0km W 265° Hill of Works* Broch or Nuraghe (ND29036255)
 8.1km SW 214° Skitten Broch or Nuraghe (ND32345655)
 8.9km S 183° Shorelands Broch or Nuraghe (ND36475425)
 9.1km S 190° Ackergill Mains* Standing Stone (Menhir) (ND35285424)
 9.1km W 262° Gunn's Hillock* Broch or Nuraghe (ND27926201)
 9.7km SSW 206° Norwall Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (ND32665445)
 10.9km WSW 242° Gearsay Cairn Broch or Nuraghe (ND27265819)
 11.3km S 170° Cairn of Elsay* Broch or Nuraghe (ND38715198)
 11.4km S 189° Kettleburn Broch Broch or Nuraghe (ND34975191)
 11.4km S 173° Papigoe Broch or Nuraghe (ND38285176)
 11.6km W 268° Murza Broch or Nuraghe (ND25386290)
 11.7km SSW 192° Fairy Hillock (Milton) Cairn (ND34465173)
 11.7km S 176° The Pap* Broch or Nuraghe (ND37625140)
 11.9km WSW 239° Coghill* Broch or Nuraghe (ND26705708)
 12.6km WNW 301° Earl's Cairn* Chambered Cairn (ND26296973)
 12.7km SSW 212° Thuster Broch or Nuraghe (ND30045254)
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< Golden Cap Barrows

Dalby Vagthøj >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Contribute!

· NEW: I have visited
· I would like to visit
· Submit an Image
· Add a description
· Give accurate position
· Add a comment or news about this site

Caithness Archaeology: Aspects of Prehistory

Caithness Archaeology: Aspects of Prehistory

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Nybster Broch" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Nybster Broch Dig Diary by Andy B on Thursday, 19 May 2011
(User Info | Send a Message)
One of the main aims of the first season of excavation at Nybster in 2011 was to establish the date of the enclosing rampart structure as well as explore the details of its construction. Although detailed survey in 2004 had established a broad chronological sequence for the buildings on the promontory, relationships between certain areas of the site could only be established by excavation.

In April and May 2011 we excavated a trench over the northern half of the enclosing outwork on the promontory. One of the questions we were aiming to tackle was whether the rampart represented a single construction, or a multiphase, composite structure as suggested by our careful inspection of the exposed wall faces. The results confirmed our suspicions, showing that the rampart had undergone several phases of modification and enhancement throughout the occupation of Nybster.

Finds from the excavation included pottery, moulds for making bronze pins, crucible fragments relating to metalworking, as well as cannel coal (often used for making jewellery) and a small stone pendant. Our analysis of these artefacts and the soil samples collected during the excavations will help us to date these phases of construction more accurately, and provide a more detailed picture of activity at Nybster at each of these stages.

More at
http://www.aocarchaeology.com/nybster/dig-diary
[ Reply to This ]

The Nybster Broch community archaeology project by Andy B on Thursday, 19 May 2011
(User Info | Send a Message)
2011 sees the commencement of a major new programme of community archaeological research, centred around the broch village complex at Nybster, Auckengill, Caithness. The first phase of excavations took place from Tuesday 26th April to Sunday 8th May. For information on past findings see the Dig Diary.
http://www.aocarchaeology.com/nybster/dig-diary

The Caithness Archaeological Trust has joined forces with AOC Archaeology Group to instigate a new programme of excavation and recording of the dramatic broch village, situated on the promontory headland at Auckengill, north of Keiss in Caithness. The archaeological programme will involve a series of excavations and conservation work on the site, aiming to better understand the development of the settlement through the Iron Age and Early Historic periods, and to better present the site to the visiting public.

Members of the public are invited to take part in excavations. The second open fortnight will be 1st-13th August 2011
More at
http://www.aocarchaeology.com/nybster/
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.