Burnswark finds make year's top list

ARTEFACTS found at Burnswark have been declared among Scotland’s most amazing archaeological discoveries of 2025.

Dig It!, a hub for Scottish archaeology coordinated by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, has compiled their annual list of some of the biggest discoveries from the year to celebrate the archaeological work that takes place across the country.

And the evidence of a possible Roman siege in Dumfries and Galloway is included.

It relates to work in August and September, when experts collected evidence from the Annandale hillfort which may suggest the site was besieged by an invading Roman force 1900 years ago, making it one of only a handful in Europe that still has upstanding evidence for a Roman attack.

Alternative theories have suggested that the hillfort, which dates to the Iron Age (800 BC to AD 400), was not significant enough to warrant a Roman attack and was long abandoned by the time the Romans arrived.

However, survey work by the team from the University of Glasgow, the Trimontium Trust and the University of Manchester has revealed that Burnswark Hill was far more densely occupied during the time of the Roman invasion than previously thought, which they believe means that it was large enough to provoke an attack.

Subsequent excavations also revealed traces of a major phase of rampart construction or remodelling following the Roman attack. This has been interpreted as the hillfort’s inhabitants having survived or returned after a siege and beginning to rebuild.

According to the University of Glasgow’s Dr James O’Driscoll FSAScot: “These findings offer a rare glimpse into how Iron Age communities in Scotland built, defended, and reimagined their world in response to Roman power. It’s a story of resilience, identity, and survival that challenges long-held assumptions about Scotland’s past.”

* Dig It! advertises archaeology events throughout the year, including fieldwork opportunities which are free and open to everyone with no experience required.

For more information, visit DigItScotland.com

BURNSWARK DIG . . . above, archaeologists in the trenches. Pic: James O'Driscoll