Broch

A Broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy: the theory that they were essentially defensive military structures is not accepted by many modern archaeologists, and the notion that they were farmhouses is ridiculed by some others. They were almost certainly originally roofed and although most stand alone in the landscape, some examples exist of brochs surrounded by clusters of smaller dwellings.