Midhowe Broch

Midhowe Broch is an Iron Age broch located on the west coast of the island of Rousay in the Orkney Islands [1]. The broch is part of an ancient settlement, part of which has been lost to coastal erosion [1]. The broch tower has an internal diameter of 9 metres within a wall 4.5 metres thick, which still stands to a height of over 4 metres [1]. The broch interior is crowded with stone partitions, and there is a spring-fed water tank in the floor and a hearth with sockets which may have held a roasting spit [1]. The broch is surrounded by the remains of other lesser buildings, and a narrow entrance provides access into the defended settlement [1]. The broch and attendant buildings were excavated between 1930 and 1933 and then taken under guardianship [1]. The excavations recovered stone and bone tools associated with grain processing, spinning and weaving [1]. Also discovered was a fragment from a Roman bronze vessel [1].