Ring of fire

Lighting up the night sky

The much-lauded Prehistoric Festival at the Brodick Castle and Country Park saw a record number of people attending the activities held over the September weekend.

The most highly anticipated was the Burning the Circle event – held high in the hills overlooking Brodick Bay – which saw a large crowd attending the burning of the structures which archaeologists will study to gain an insight into prehistoric remains such as those found at Machrie Moor. As reported in last week’s Banner in the days prior to the festival, archaeologists, rangers and National Trust for Scotland Thistle Camp volunteers constructed a large set of concentric wooden posts with a post-lined avenue and a central pyre housing a wooden structure filled with various animal bones and objects which would later afford them artefacts to study.

As night fell, an air of anticipation circulated among the gathered crowd who witnessed a procession of prehistoric characters who – to the rhythmical beating of the Arran Taiko Drummers – advanced along the avenue, lighting the posts as they made their way to the pyre. In the build up to the lighting of the fire, the music intensified and a primal and tribal atmosphere was created with demonstrations from a suitably-attired shaman, flint napper, potter and a metal worker and unusually a bagpipe performance.

As the fire was lit and the flames roared high in to the air the scene was complete with all of the senses stimulated into transporting the observer back to prehistoric times. The smell and warmth

of the fire combined with the sound of the drumming and the cracking of the roaring flames created an exciting spectacle, especially for the younger children who were among the crowd.

The Prehistoric Festival, which was run in conjunction with Northlight Heritage, the National Trust for Scotland and University of Glasgow, started with an evening event at the prehistoric roundhouse on Friday evening. A host of smaller events, including pottery making, a prehistoric buffet and flint napping demonstrations, took place on Saturday ahead of the burning ceremony.

The following day visitors were taken on a guided walk by artist and archaeologist David Aitcheson who provided interesting details on the people and archaeology of the monuments at Machrie Moor.

01_B39burn03 Creating an atmosphere, a shaman stands in front of the burning pyre.

01_B39burn06 A freshly cast bronze sword is held aloft by the metal worker for the audience to behold.

01_B39burn04 Visitors start amassing at the prehistoric structure as the sun sets over Brodick Bay.

01_B39burn01 A large crowd assembles around the pyre and wooden posts which volunteers set alight.

01_B39burn07 A prehistoric enactment takes place as the fire takes hold.

01_B39burn08 The Arran Taiko Drummers provided a fitting audio accompaniment to the performance.

01_B39burn05 Some of the Thistle Camp volunteers who helped to create the timber circle replica.

01_B39burn02 Edward Stewart, Elizabeth Robertson and Andrew Stirling join Sue Mills, Brodick Castle head education guide, and experimental archaeologist James Dilley at the Bronze Age roundhouse.