Dunadd Fort
Dun Add · Seat of the Kings of Dál Riata
Neolithic to Early Medieval·Dál Riata (Gaelic) over Neolithic substratum·🇬🇧 Kilmartin Glen, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Dunadd Fort
Rocky hillfort at the southern end of Kilmartin Glen, capital of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata (6th–8th centuries CE) but with Neolithic rock art and Iron Age enclosure beneath. The summit bears a footprint carving, ogham, and basin for inauguration of kings. Excavated by Craw (1929) and Lane & Campbell (1980–81), it links Kilmartin Glen's 5,000-year ritual sequence from cairns to early medieval kingship.
Why it mattersRocky hillfort at the southern end of Kilmartin Glen, capital of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata (6th–8th centuries CE) but with Neolithic rock art and Iron Age enclosure beneath. The summit bears a footprint carving, og
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Continuity from Neolithic to medieval use
Theories
- 01Sacred hill reused for kingship ritual
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3000 BCE rock art; fort c. 500–800 CE
- Period
- Neolithic to Early Medieval
- Culture
- Dál Riata (Gaelic) over Neolithic substratum
- Purpose
- Hillfort, royal inauguration site, rock art
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3000 BCE rock art; fort c. 500–800 CE
Initial construction
c. 1244 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
56.0861° N · 5.4786° W · 54 m · 2 mapped features
Summit footprint carving
rock artFoot-shaped carving and ogham for king inauguration on summit slab
56.0861° N · 5.4786° WLower enclosure ramparts
rampartEarth-and-timber ramparts enclosing bog-top crag, Iron Age and early medieval phases
56.0861° N · 5.4787° W
Gallery