Roman brooch 'buried to defend iron age house'

Experts are investigating the discovery of a mysterious Roman artefact uncovered in an Iron Age settlement under an Ayrshire distillery.

Archaeologists believe the enamelled bronze brooch may have been placed in the foundations of the fortified roundhouse as a sacrifice during its construction to grant "protection" to the household.

The item, thought to have dated from about the second century AD, was found during an excavation at the William Grant and Sons Girvan Distillery at the Curragh in South Ayrshire in 2020.

Researchers from Guard Archaeology believe the brooch could shine a light on the way people in ancient Scotland interacted with Roman soldiers guarding Hadrian's Wall.

The brooch was thought to be a popular design among Roman military personnel, but examples of the artefacts have been more commonly discovered in present-day central Europe, the Rhineland and Switzerland.

It would have arrived in Scotland at about the time the Roman Empire was losing its grip on the south of the country.

The Romans left Scotland in about 210 AD, but remained in Britain for a further 200 years.

Jordan Barbour, who co-authored a report into the find, said it was unclear how the brooch passed from Roman hands to those of the Britons.

But he said it was a possible the artefact was a "trophy won in battle".

He said: "It's the only Roman artefact recovered from the site. If the inhabitants had established regular trade with Roman Britain, we might expect to find a greater variety of Roman objects, but this is a solidly native context.

"Rather, the brooch is more likely to have been obtained through ad hoc exchange with Roman troops operating north of Hadrian's Wall, perhaps even taken in battle as a trophy."

The household was likely to have been that of a wealthy farming family.

The abandonment of the Antonine Wall earlier in the century meant there were no Roman forts nearby at the time the dwelling was built.

However, there was evidence of a previously military presence in the area in the form of a Roman marching camp.

An Iron Age settlement at the Curragh was situated at the top of a rocky plateau, with a steep slope to the immediate north.

Its location, along with a timber frame surrounding the dwelling, known as a palisade, suggested much of its construction was geared towards defence.

Mr Barbour said there was "no evidence" the brooch had been worn by a local Briton.

However he said it may have been placed in the foundations as a "votive sacrifice," or part of a ritual designed to draw protection from ancient gods.

He said: "These brooches were particularly popular among members of the Roman military forces, so it's likely that it came north of Hadrian's Wall on the cloak of a Roman soldier tasked with garrisoning the empire's northernmost frontier.

"It's difficult to say exactly why the brooch was deposited within the palisade trench, but we know that ritualised foundation offerings are observed across many cultures, typically enacted to grant protection to a household, and this is certainly a possibility here."