General oblique aerial view centred on the remains of the township, field-system, rig and lazy-beds with An Sgurr fort adjacent, taken from the WSW.

Description General oblique aerial view centred on the remains of the township, field-system, rig and lazy-beds with An Sgurr fort adjacent, taken from the WSW.

Date 10/4/2003

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 1699292

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 35314 CN

Scope and Content An Sgurr from south west, Eigg, Small Isles, Highland The island of Eigg is one of the Small Isles along with Canna, Rum and Muck. It lies 16km off the West coast of Scotland and has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic period (4000-2500BC). The island was bought in 1997 by its residents in conjunction with the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Highland Council. This shows the dramatic cliffs of An Sgurr, rising above the heather and fields of the south side of the island. The tiny island (bottom) is Dubh Sgeir and the larger one at the top of the image is Eilean Chathastail. Remains of a fort on the summit of An Sgurr, dating from 800 BC-500 AD, include an 80m long defensive wall. The fort on An Sgurr is defended by 150m-high sheer natural walls of the cliff face on three sides and would have only been occupied during times of danger. The site is much too isolated and windy to be suitable for long term occupation, but would have served as an impressive visual statement of power. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1699292

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap