Dunadd: An Early Dalriadic Capital

The kingdom of "Dal Riata" emerged in Argyll in the early centuries AD, after the Romans had abandoned Scotland. Unlike the Picts to the North and the British Celtic tribes to the South, the rulers of Argyll were Gaelic speakers who had crossed the sea from Ireland. This book describes the results of new excavations at Dunadd, the rocky hill on which these early Scots built a citadel. The authors also review past research at the site, and discuss what we know of Dalriadic society and culture. From the Iron Age onwards Dunadd was one of the most important regional centres, and the extensive Early Mediaeval remains have been interpreted in the past as the site where the first kings of Scotland were crowned (before that honour moved to Scone). The elegant metal artefacts, metallurgical workshop and elaborate masonry uncovered in these new excavations support this claim, and also shed new light on the development of insular art. Iona, only 60km away, had close links with Dunadd. While this volume is at heart a detailed excavation report, the wider contextual discussions (which are a hallmark of the Cardiff Studies in Archaeology series) should be of interest to anybody interested in the early, unwritten history of Scotland.
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