An Archaeological Study Tour
Scotland and Its Islands
June 10 - 26, 2011
Led by Dr. Mattanyah Zohar


This unique tour encompasses a series of prehistoric sacred places and monuments scattered on the mainland and northern islands of Scotland. Stone circles and awe-inspiring tombs, remote intricately decorated Pictish stelae, towering brochs, stone-built villages and mysterious landscapes are set amid peat-covered moors and along swift-flowing burns. These sites now stand in solitude far from civilization but were once the centers of the world for these ancient peoples whose way of life and beliefs still elude us. No less intriguing are the remains from the Iron Age, whose warrior-like people might be reflected in the later Celtic mythology. In Scotland’s outstanding museums we shall study the remains of these cultures, as well as those of the ancient Picts, the Romans who briefly occupied the southern borders, and the Vikings. Our journey of discovery will be enhanced by visits to gardens of spectacular beauty, dramatic landscapes and brilliant blue seas.

Friday, Saturday, June 10/11: OBAN: Independant departures from our home cities on Friday. The group will meet Saturday in the Glasgow airport for our drive to Oban. This evening we will meet for dinner. Royal Hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Sunday, June 12: OBAN: Our day begins with a ferry from Oban via the Island of Mull to the historically important Island of Iona, given to St. Columba in 563 CE for a monastic community. The Columban Church had a key role in the establishment of Christianity in Scotland until Viking raids caused most of the community to move to Kells, in Ireland. We will visit the Early Christian remains as well as the medieval abbey and nunnery before returning to Oban.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, June 13: SKYE: Today we travel into Kilmartin Valley, where over 150 prehistoric sites have been identified. We will visit several spectacular rock outcrops, which have multiple cup and ring markings. Although no one knows what the ancient artists had in mind, the outcrops are clearly part of a series of related Neolithic sites that include the impressive cairns and standing stones. We will also visit the Kilmartin Museum before continuing to the Island of Skye. Cuillin Hills Hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, Wednesday, June 14 & 15: STORNOWAY: Another ferry brings us to the Isle of Harris, from which we drive to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, one of the 130 islands of the Outer Hebrides. Our stay here gives us an opportunity to explore some of this Gaelic-speaking island, from heather-covered moors to brightly painted villages. However, we have traveled this distance to see the Stones of Callanish, which are among the most important megalithic monuments of the British Isles. The site dates from the Late Stone Age and Early Bronze Age (3000-1500 BCE) and has a central cairn, which was a later addition. We will also visit Dun Carloway Broch and the Museum Nan Eilean, Steornabhagh. Cabarfeidh Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Thursday, Friday, June 16 & 17: EDINBURGH: After an early morning flight to Edinburgh, a short drive across the Clyde Valley brings us to Cairnpapple Hill. Here five phases of occupation can be seen, the earliest of the Late Neolithic period, a large burial cairn from the Bronze Age and lastly, four graves probably of the Early Iron Age. We will then visit two forts along the Roman Antonine Wall, the well-preserved Rough Castle and Kinneil, a fortlet that has been excavated and partially reconstructed. We then continue to Edinburgh for two nights at the centrally located George Hotel. Friday our city tour begins with Edinburgh Castle and a walk down the Royal Mile past wonderfully restored 18th- and 19th-century buildings, such as the John Knox House and St. Giles’ Cathedral, and the Holyrood Abbey and Palace, official residence of the Queen when she is in town. These two sites are imbued with the spirit of Queen Mary and will bring the history of that period to life. Touring continues at the Royal Museum of Antiquities, where we will see the fine archaeological collection, illustrating Scottish life and culture. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to visit some of the city’s landmarks.
Meals: Breakfast daily & 1 lunch

Saturday, June 18: ABERDEEN: Driving north we enter the center of the Pictish kingdom haunted by hill forts and mysterious stone circles. Our first stop is in the ancient town of Brechin, where interesting examples of Pictish carved stones are displayed in the 13th-century cathedral. En route to Aberlemno we see four remarkable Pictish stones; the most outstanding is 7 feet high and carved with a stirring battle scene and is believed to have marked the grave of King Feradachi. At Meigle, legendary burial place of faithless Guinevere, we will visit the outstanding collection of early Christian monuments. Caledonian Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, June 19: INVERNESS: This morning we will visit 13th century Fyvie Castle, renown for its superb portrait collection, largest collection of Raeburns in the world and great stone wheel-staircase. The lovely grounds were landscaped in the early 19th century. Traveling along the coast of Moray Firth, we stop to see the amazing Sueno’s Stone standing 20 feet tall and completely covered with mysterious symbols. We then continue to Inverness, stopping en route at one of the most important cairn groups on the mainland, Clava Cairns, probably built between 2000 and 1500 BCE. Royal Highland Hotel.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, June 20: THURSO: We drive north along the coast to Thurso, visiting some of the many prehistoric sites en route, including The Hill o’Many Stanes, compared to Brittany’s Carnac, Grey Cairns of Camster and the Laidhay Croft Museum, where local traditional life is depicted. Station Hotel.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, June 21, 22 & 23: KIRKWALL: A 40-minute ferry trip brings us to the Orkney Islands and its quiet little capital, Kirkwall, one of the earliest Norse trading centers. During our three-day stay we will visit all of the fascinating remains on the islands with ample time to explore the old town of Kirkwall. Our touring on the islands includes the Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae, where archaeologists have excavated six one-room houses with their stone furnishings, tools and implements after 4,000 years of burial under sand, the Ring of Brodgar, Maes Howe, the most outstanding Stone Age burial cairn in Britain, the Kirkwall Museum and more. We will cross to Brough of Birsay on foot at low tide to see the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements, where the earliest remains are houses, and metalworking debris of the Pictish period. The Norse Cathedral and graveyard are built over an earlier Celtic foundation, and the Norse long houses will give us a good picture of life on the island in the early 12th century. On Wednesday we will take a ferry excursion to Rousay Island to see Midhowe, a fabulous broch and cairn. We reach this area by a coastal walk, known as the Westness Walk, along which we visit several archaeological sites. We will picnic on the beach with gray seals providing our entertainment. Thursday evening we will board an overnight ferry to Lerwick. Ayre Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & one dinner

Friday, Saturday, June 24 & 25: LERWICK: Our ferry docks early on the Shetland Islands, where we will explore the prehistoric sites of Stanydale “Neolithic temple” and nearby standing stones, which have been compared to those on Malta, and Jarlshof, which has remains from the Stone Age through the Viking period. The museum has a small collection of finds from the site, as does the Shetland Museum in Lerwick. A short boat trip will bring us to the uninhabited island of Mousa, where we will see the most complete of Scotland’s more than 500 brochs. This structure is fascinating both in its ingenious construction and its colorful past. It is said that the Picts sought refuge from Roman slave hunters here. Still standing over 50 feet in diameter, 45 feet high, with walls that taper from 12 to 7 feet in thickness, this broch illustrates how by tapering the walls first inward, then outward, they became impossible to climb. Lerwick Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Sunday, June 26: Transfer to the airport for our flights home.