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Dun Liath is a broch situated at Elgol in Inverness-shire, Scotland. This Iron Age stone tower represents a distinctive form of settlement architecture found in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, dating to the period between roughly 100 BC and AD 100. The broch's construction would have exploited the local bedrock of Middle Jurassic mudstone, sandstone and limestone that underlies the site, stone types suitable for dressing and mortaring into the robust double-walled structure characteristic of such towers.
The site is protected as a Scheduled Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM917, recognising its archaeological significance and the insights it provides into Iron Age settlement patterns and social organisation in northern Scotland. Like other brochs, Dun Liath would have served as a substantial residential structure, possibly housing a high-status family and their dependents within its circular walls.
The location at Elgol, within the dramatic landscape of Inverness-shire, places the broch within a region rich in Iron Age settlement evidence. Such towers represent an architectural achievement distinctive to northern Britain, demonstrating sophisticated knowledge of stone construction and engineering during the Iron Age.
Dun Liath,broch,Elgol is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM917. View the official record →
Dun Liath is a broch situated at Elgol in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM917.
Dun Liath,broch,Elgol dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch,elgol. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Dun Liath,broch,Elgol is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM917.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dun Grugaig, dun 730m S of Glasnakille, Elgoll (2.1 km), Cnocan nan Cobhar,chambered cairn,Kilmarie (3.2 km), Dun Ringill,dun 800m E of Cille Mhaire (3.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dun Liath,broch,Elgol's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Dun Liath,broch,Elgol stands on Middle Jurassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Jurassic. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.