Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2558 Ardanstur, Argyll (Dun Beag)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  The West of Scotland Archaeology Service 1066 (None)

NMR:  NM 81 SW 3 (22876)

SM:  3796

NGR:  NM 8221 1368

X:  182210  Y:  713680  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification, which is situated on a steep-sided and rocky knoll, has been heavily robbed. Roughly oval on plan, it measures about 36m from N to S by 17m transversely (0.05ha), within a wall extending around the margins of the summit. The wall is spread about 2m thick and has long runs of outer face on the NE and SW, at the former standing 1.4m in height; the basal course, however, is set at least 1.8m below the interior, implying that in its original form the wall must have been at least 3m high externally. Nothing can be seen of the entrance but it was probably in a gap in the wall on the NW. The N end of the interior is overlain by the remains of a circular stone structure that RCAHMS investigators considered too indefinite to render on the plan. There are several small quarry scoops in the S half of the interior, and a small, rectangular, cultivation plot.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -614324  Y:  7611464  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.5185691591136825  Latitude:  56.26556155916447  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Argyll & Bute

Historic County:  Argyll

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kilninver And Kilmelford

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

None

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  None

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  50.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

In the absence of excavation, there are neither stratified artefacts nor radiocarbon dates to provide a chronology for the defences.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   Overlain by an even more heavily robbed circular structure

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

The RCAHMS collection contains photographs taken in 1985 by S Driscoll.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1871):   Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map (Argyll and Bute 1875, sheet 122)
Earthwork Survey (1888):   Sketch-plan and description by David Christison (1889, 411-12, fig 34)
Earthwork Survey (1967):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1975, 78, no.152, fig 48; RCAHMS AGD 401/1-2)
Other (1970):   Surveyed at 1:10,000 by the OS
Other (1975):   Scheduled

Interior Features

Several small quarry scoops on the S and overlain by a substantial circular structure on the N

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Overlain by a substantial circular structure, possibly a dun

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

See main summary

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Not visible but probably in a gap on the NW

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North west):   None

Enclosing Works

Single wall

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.05ha.
Total:   0.05ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✗   None

Number of Ditches:  None

Annex:
✗   None

References

Christison, D (1889) The duns and forts of Lorne, Nether Lochaber, and the neighbourhood'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 23 (1888-9), 368-432

RCAHMS (1975) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the ancient monuments: volume 2: Lorn. HMSO: Edinburgh



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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