Burning Matters: The Rise and Fall of an Early-Medieval Fortified Centre. A New Chronology for Clatchard Craig

ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS in early-medieval northern Britain was the re-emergence of fortified enclosures and settlements. As western England Wales, fort rather than hall formed most prominent material manifestation power an elite their client group. While sites dominate our knowledge form that central places governance took period Britain, historical sources reveal little about character, longevity lifespan many these important nodes power, archaeological investigation has also tended to be limited. Hence only a handful forts provide well-dated investigated sequences for what are critical understanding character post-Roman society north. part Leverhulme Trust-funded Comparative Kingship project, suite new radiocarbon dates produced using archived from excavations at now-destroyed hillfort Clatchard Craig Fife, eastern Scotland (NGR NO 2435 1780); one complex yet identified Britain. Some 35 years ago, Joanna Close-Brooks oversaw publication report on based which had occurred more two decades earlier response quarrying this multivallate hillfort.Footnote5 Due imprecision scarcity dating, broad 6th 8th + century ad chronology defences occupation interior obtained. With higher precision AMS Bayesian model, much tighter sequence dating been suggesting development destruction monumentally enclosed phase site centred shorter 7th ad. The site, suggests constructed destroyed within few generations most, implications role fortifications, warfare society. burning catastrophic rapid end is likely have by Pictish elite. may victim tumultuous pivotal events latter half when southern Pictland came under Northumbrian control before being wrested back into overkingship aftermath Battle Nechtanesmere 685.