Product Description

This series provides an introduction to the archaeological heritage of Scotland, detailing the story of one part of the country. The details are filled in by a gazetteer of the most interesting and best preserved monuments, and aim to encourage the reader to explore further using the full-colour section on day excursions. This volume contains a variety of monuments in keeping with a past dominated by the sea - both as a means of transport and as a livelihood. From Skerryvore lighthouse to the mysterious standing stones of Callanish, it explores how people have lived over the centuries around Scotland's western seaboard.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180326 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Inside Flap
Exploring Scotland’s Heritage Series provides an up-to-date and authoritative introduction to the rich archaeological heritage of Scotland. Each book tells the story of one part of Scotland, tracing human impressions on the landscape from World War II relics back to the earliest pioneer days of settlement. The details are filled in by a gazetteer of the most interesting and best preserved monuments and each new edition also features a full-colour Excursions section with easy to follow trips.

Argyll and the Western Isles have a rich variety of monuments in keeping with a past dominated by the sea – both as a means of transport and as a livelihood. From Skerryvore lighthouse to the mysterious standing stones of Callanish, there is plenty to interest any visitor curious about how people have lived around the dramatic sea-lochs and islands of Scotland’s western seaboard.

About the Author
Graham Ritchie is Head of Archaeology in the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, and Mary Harman works in conservation of the natural heritage in the Western Isles.

Excerpt
Introduction

The scenic interplay between the sea and the mountains of the Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland has surely impressed invaders and visitors since early times. The Atlantic coast has been open to seaborne trade and settlement from the beginnings of prehistory. In later times the waters of the North Channel were little barrier to the Scots from Ulster who formed the kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll from about 500 AD; in the 14th and 15th centuries the Sea of the Hebrides liked the various territories under the sway of the Lords of the Isles.

For most modern visitors to Argyll and the islands, however, the sea is a barrier, with long lochs necessitating detours round the shore, or straits which must be crossed by ferry. For those who have the sea as their highway the greater part of this area is readily accessible, by navigating round islands and sailing up the seas-lochs, many of which penetrate far inland. Before the building of a road network in the 18th century, the mountainous cut off the Atlantic coast from all but the most intrepid travellers or determined armies.