Books and papers
Written records or primary sources are not easy to come by in the Western Isles.
Rentals and maps are probably the most useful. The National Library of Scotland map section is an exceptional resource for the latter of these. The image below is from that site and is an excerpt from the Mercator 1564 map, one of the earliest maps of the area published.
Many books and papers have been printed about the archaeology of the Western Isles.
The seminal book was Erskine Beveridge's North Uist Its Archaeology and Topography. This was first published in 1911 but modern editions are easily available. He was a rich retired industrialist who purchased Vallay Island and built the large house there, the ruins of which are clearly visible. He excavated a large number of sites, particularly around the north end of North Uist and his book is based on that.
For a general book on the local archaeology with a more modern viewpoint, Ian Armit's The Archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles is excellent.
More detailed are a series of books published by the SEARCH group, originally from Sheffield University, based on the extensive excavation and survey work they have carried out. Two titles of general interest in this series are From Machair to Mountains edited by Mike Parker Pearson and South Uist - Archaeology and History of a Hebridean Island by Mike Parker Pearson, Nial Sharples and Jim Symonds.
Another recommend title is Ancient Uists edited by Anna Badcock.
The image at the top of the page is of Grimsay Wheelhouse, an excavated Iron Age wheelhouse on the northern shore of Grimsay. A site worth a visit and not on the OS mapping! Details can be found here.
Rentals and maps are probably the most useful. The National Library of Scotland map section is an exceptional resource for the latter of these. The image below is from that site and is an excerpt from the Mercator 1564 map, one of the earliest maps of the area published.
Many books and papers have been printed about the archaeology of the Western Isles.
The seminal book was Erskine Beveridge's North Uist Its Archaeology and Topography. This was first published in 1911 but modern editions are easily available. He was a rich retired industrialist who purchased Vallay Island and built the large house there, the ruins of which are clearly visible. He excavated a large number of sites, particularly around the north end of North Uist and his book is based on that.
For a general book on the local archaeology with a more modern viewpoint, Ian Armit's The Archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles is excellent.
More detailed are a series of books published by the SEARCH group, originally from Sheffield University, based on the extensive excavation and survey work they have carried out. Two titles of general interest in this series are From Machair to Mountains edited by Mike Parker Pearson and South Uist - Archaeology and History of a Hebridean Island by Mike Parker Pearson, Nial Sharples and Jim Symonds.
Another recommend title is Ancient Uists edited by Anna Badcock.
The image at the top of the page is of Grimsay Wheelhouse, an excavated Iron Age wheelhouse on the northern shore of Grimsay. A site worth a visit and not on the OS mapping! Details can be found here.