News  |  Posted September 30, 2022

New open access e-book: Anatomy of an Iron Age Roundhouse

The Society is pleased to announce the release of this title as an open access e-book, now available through the Open Access E-Books platform.

Anatomy of an Iron Age Roundhouse: The Cnip Wheelhouse Excavations, Lewis

by Ian Armit

Click here to access the e-book: https://doi.org/10.9750/9781908332288

Wheelhouses were Iron Age buildings of great sophistication. Although found only in northern Scotland, they belong to a much wider “roundhouse tradition” that, before the arrival of the Romans, covered the whole of Britain. When tidal erosion on Cnip beach in west Lewis uncovered a spectacularly well-preserved wheelhouse complex, it presented a rare opportunity to shed new light on the extraordinary architectural phenomenon. The uniquely detailed sequence at Cnip enabled the excavation team to trace the settlement from conception to abandonment, dissecting the buildings and generating new insights into the daily lives of the Iron Age islanders, their relationships with their environment, and with their neighbours. This volume sets out the results of the excavations, placing them in the wider context of the British and European Iron Age.

Praise for the book:

‘This report provides an excellent source for readers to appreciate the archaeology in the Western Isles.

– Professor Niall Sharples (Antiquity)

‘Thorough, thought-provoking and beautifully written.

– J D Hill (British Museum)

Publications

New open access e-book: Anatomy of an Iron Age Roundhouse

The Society is pleased to announce the release of this title as an open access e-book, now available through the Open Access E-Books platform.

Anatomy of an Iron Age Roundhouse: The Cnip Wheelhouse Excavations, Lewis

by Ian Armit

Click here to access the e-book: https://doi.org/10.9750/9781908332288

Wheelhouses were Iron Age buildings of great sophistication. Although found only in northern Scotland, they belong to a much wider “roundhouse tradition” that, before the arrival of the Romans, covered the whole of Britain. When tidal erosion on Cnip beach in west Lewis uncovered a spectacularly well-preserved wheelhouse complex, it presented a rare opportunity to shed new light on the extraordinary architectural phenomenon. The uniquely detailed sequence at Cnip enabled the excavation team to trace the settlement from conception to abandonment, dissecting the buildings and generating new insights into the daily lives of the Iron Age islanders, their relationships with their environment, and with their neighbours. This volume sets out the results of the excavations, placing them in the wider context of the British and European Iron Age.

Praise for the book:

‘This report provides an excellent source for readers to appreciate the archaeology in the Western Isles.

– Professor Niall Sharples (Antiquity)

‘Thorough, thought-provoking and beautifully written.

– J D Hill (British Museum)