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Traprain Law

East Lothian, Scotland · Atlas SC3932

Location

Atlas number
SC3932 (3932)
Country
Scotland
Current county or unitary authority
East Lothian
Historic county
East Lothian
Parish, community, or townland
Prestonkirk
National Grid reference
NT 5800 7470
Latitude
55.96351
Longitude
-2.67436
Altitude
221 m

Form and condition

Type
contour fort and multiple enclosure
Condition
Extant and Likely destroyed
Morphology
partial bivallate and partial multivallate
Complete rampart circuit
No
Number of ramparts
5
Ramparts by quadrant
NE 2, SE 0, SW 3, NW 5
Possible original entrances
4
Breaks through the ramparts
9
Enclosed area
16.2 ha
Enclosure areas
4 ha, 8.1 ha, 12.1 ha, 16.2 ha
Enclosing works, as visible
earthen bank and stone wall
Enclosing works, excavated
earthen bank, stone wall, and palisade
Also recorded
multi-period enclosure system
Entrance forms
Simple Gap (North west); Simple Gap (South west); Simple Gap (West); In-turned (North); Oblique (West); Oblique (North west); Simple Gap (North east)

Landscape

Topographic position
hilltop
Aspect
level
Land use
pasture, scrub or bracken, and heather moorland
Water source
spring and pool

Dating

Dating
before 1200 BC, 1200–800 BC, and AD 50–400
Dating evidence
Artefactual and C14
Dating reliability
A - High

Interior and investigation

Interior surface
curvilinear platforms
Interior excavation
pits, postholes, roundhouses, rectangular structures, and roads or tracks
Finds
pottery, metal, metalworking, human bones, animal bones, lithics, and environmental material
Investigations
1st Identified Written Reference (1792); 1st Identified Map Depiction (1906); Earthwork Survey (1914); Excavation (1914); Excavation (1915); Excavation (1919); Excavation (1920); Excavation (1921); Excavation (1922); Excavation (1923); Other (1923); Other

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number
755
HER
East Lothian Council MEL974
National record
record NT 57 SE 1; monument 56374
Wikidata
Q31096942

Sources

References

  1. Armit, I, Badger, S, Hunter, F and Nelis, E (2005) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk parish), later prehistoric hillfort; late Bronze Age axe hoard; prehistoric rock art; medieval building'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 6 (2005), 55-6
  2. Armit, I, Church, M, Dunwell, A and Hunter, F (2001) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Prestonkirk parish), pond on hillfort'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 2 (2001), 37
  3. Armit, I, Dunwell, A and Hunter, F (1999) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk parish), Neolithic axehead; Iron Age and medieval occupation'. Disc Exc Scot (1999), 30-31
  4. Armit, I, Dunwell, A and Hunter, F (2000) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Prestonkirk parish), later prehistoric hillfort; occupation deposits'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 1 (2000), 29
  5. Armit, I and McCartney, M (2005) 'The new rock art discoveries at Traprain Law. Past: Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society 49 (April 2005), 4-5
  6. Bersu, G 1948 'Excavation in Scotland, 1947'. Archaeol Newsletter 1.5 (1948, August), 12
  7. Burley, E (1956) 'A catalogue and survey of the metal-work from Traprain Law'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 89 (1955-6), 118-226
  8. Close-Brooks, J (1983) 'Dr Bersu's excavations at Traprain Law, 1947'. 206-23 in O'Connor, A and Clarke, D V, From the Stone Age to the 'Forty-Five': Studies Presented to R B K Stevenson, Former Keeper, National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. John Donald: Edinburgh
  9. Cree, J E (1923) 'Account of the excavations on Traprain Law during the summer of 1922'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 57 (1922-3), 180-226
  10. Cree, J E (1924) 'Account of the excavations on Traprain Law during the summer of 1923'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 58 (1923-4), 241-84
  11. Cree, J E & Curle, Alexander O (1922) 'Account of the Excavations on Traprain Law during the Summer of 1921'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 56 (1921-2), 189-259
  12. Cruden, S H (1940) 'The Ramparts of Traprain Law; excavations in 1939'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 74 (1939-40), 48-59
  13. Curle, A O (1915) 'Account of excavations on Traprain Law in the Parish of Prestonkirk, County of Haddington, in 1914'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 49 (1914-15), 139-202
  14. Curle, A O (1920) 'Report of the excavation on Traprain Law in the summer of 1919'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 54 (1919-20), 54-124
  15. Curle, A O (1923) The treasure of Traprain: a Scottish hoard of Roman silver plate. Glasgow
  16. Curle, A O & Cree, J E (1916) 'Account of Excavations on Traprain Law in the Parish of Prestonkirk, County of Haddington, in 1915. With Description of the Animal Remains'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 50 (1915-16), 64-144
  17. Curle, A O & Cree, J E (1921) 'Account of the Excavation on Traprain Law during the Summer of 1920'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 55 (1920-21), 153-206
  18. Curle, J (1932) 'An inventory of objects of Roman and provincial Roman origin found on sites in Scotland not definitely associated with Roman constructions'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 66 (1931-2), 354-62
  19. Edwards, A J H (1935) 'Rock sculpturings on Traprain Law, East Lothian'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 69 (1934-5), 122-37
  20. Edwards, A J H (1939) 'A massive double-linked silver chain'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 73 (1938-9), 326-7
  21. Erdrich, M, Gianotta, K M and Hanson, W S (2000) 'Traprain Law: native and Roman on the northern frontier'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 130 (2000), 441-455
  22. Feachem, R W (1963) A guide to prehistoric Scotland. Batsford: London
  23. Feachem, R W (1956) 'The fortifications on Traprain Law'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 89 (1955-6), 284-9
  24. Hogg, A H A (1951) 'The Votadini'. In Grimes, W F, Aspects of archaeology in Britain and beyond: essays presented to O G S Crawford. London
  25. Hogg, A H A (1975) Hill-forts of Britain. Hart-Davis, MacGibbon: London (p 95-9)
  26. Horn, J. Forthcoming. The dating of hillforts in Britain and Ireland. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.
  27. Hunter, F (1996) 'Trapain Law (Prestonkirk parish), Iron Age artefacts, medieval building'. Disc Exc Scot (1996), 37
  28. Hunter, F (2000) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Preston kirk parish), Iron Age finds; Roman pottery'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 1 (2000), 29
  29. Hunter, F (2001) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Prestonkirk parish), later prehistoric artefacts'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 2 (2001), 36
  30. Hunter, F and Dunwell, A (2003) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk parish), survey; test pitting; fieldwalking'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 4 (2003), 62
  31. Hunter, F (2005) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk parish), later prehistoric buildings; medieval building; Roman finds'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 6 (2005), 56
  32. Hunter, F (2006) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Prestonkirk parish), excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 7 (2006), 61-62
  33. Hunter, F (2011) 'Traprain Law, East Lothian (Prestonkirk parish), excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 12 (2011), 69
  34. Jobey, G (1976) 'Traprain Law: a summary'. In Harding, D W, Hillforts: later prehistoric earthworks in Britain and Ireland. London
  35. RCAHMS (1924) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Eighth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of East Lothian. HMSO: Edinburgh
  36. Rees, T (1997) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk parish), medieval structure; Iron Age artefacts'. Disc Exc Scot (1997), 30
  37. Rees, T and Hunter, F (2000) 'Archaeological excavation of a medieval structure and an assemblage of prehistoric artefacts from the summit of Traprain Law, East Lothian'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 130 (2000), 413-440
  38. Robertson, A S (1970) 'Roman finds from non-Roman sites in Scotland'. Britannia 1 (1970), 198-226 Robertson 1970), 226
  39. Stat Acct (date) Statistical Account of Scotland: Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers of the Different Parishes (Sinclair, J ed), 1791-99
  40. Strong, P (1986) 'Traprain Law (Prestonkirk p), fort, rampart'. Disc Exc Scot (1986), 20