A new book titled The Archaeology of Finlaggan, Islay marks the culmination of more than three decades of excavations at Loch Finlaggan, where archaeologists uncovered the foundations of a nearly 900-year-old castle. “The processing of all the data that was gathered has been a major part of my life since the 1990s and I hope I have not only provided an account of interest but also a basis for others to carry out more research in the future,” said Dr. David Caldwell, who led the investigations, according to BBC News.
Excavations linked trenches on the loch’s paired islets to a rectangular stone tower that measured about 60 feet by 60 feet and contained living quarters, a courtyard, kitchens, a great hall, and a chapel with its own burial ground. Researchers noted that the tower functioned both as a lookout and as an emblem of authority; its silhouette echoed keeps at English sites such as Carlisle, Bamburgh, and Lancaster, a point reported by Archaeology Magazine.
The discovery resolved a long-running debate over the principal seat of the medieval Lords of the Isles. The chiefs of Clan MacDonald—whose ancestors ruled much of western Scotland—appeared to have raised the fortress in the 12th or 13th century, later reaching their zenith in the 14th and 15th centuries when they controlled the Hebrides, Argyll, and parts of the northwest Highlands. By adopting an architectural style favored by Anglo-French monarchs, the MacDonalds signaled aspirations that rivaled those of Scottish and English kings.
Archaeologists suggested that the stone stronghold came down in the 14th century, either because of structural weakness or damage from conflict. A palace for the Lords of the Isles then rose on the same footprint. Artifacts from the site—including musical instruments, imported wine vessels, and gaming pieces—indicated a community that balanced martial ambitions with cultured pursuits, reported the New York Post. From Finlaggan, the MacDonalds launched raids deep into mainland Scotland, striking targets such as Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness; violence in the wider region, including the massacre of nearly 400 MacDonalds on the Isle of Eigg, underscored the fraught political climate, noted Archaeology Magazine.
One islet held the tower, while the other accommodated workshops, additional kitchens, a feasting hall, and courtyards—an arrangement seldom found in Scotland and interpreted by researchers as evidence of administrative complexity. “Our mission is to share knowledge of the past as widely as possible,” said Dr. Helen Spencer of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, according to BBC News, a goal the new volume advances through its synthesis of survey data, artifact catalogues, and environmental samples gathered over nearly 30 years at Finlaggan.
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