Approaching the mind of the builder : analysis of the physical, structural and social constraints on the construction of the broch towers of Iron Age Scotland
Following a review of the paradigmatic context of broch towers in 2012, a revised standard model (the RSM) was defined. The then prevailing paradigm supports a view of broch remains as single monuments of highly variable form that continued in use over perhaps a millennium or more, without significant modification of their original tectonics i.e. their people/constructed-space relationships. This thesis challenges the pre-2012 paradigm by testing the hypothesis that brochs were built to the standard canonical form of the RSM and that their apparent diversity results from anthropic and, or natural modification, not design variability. The fieldwork tests could but did not find refutation of these hypotheses in the observable evidence and offered more profound interpretations of several surviving feature-types. The loading on the stone lintels of the entrance passage through the massively built outer wall and the structurally overladen inner wall created a major structural challenge, evoking a complex engineering solution. Its elements were individually noted pre-2012 but the significance of the engineering response to compression management had not been identified. This structural response was necessary for
Barber, John William Anthony
archaeology ; architectural engineering ; drystone building ; Iron Age ; brochs ; design weakness
Approaching the mind of the builder : analysis of the physical, structural and social constraints on the construction of the broch towers of Iron Age Scotland. Following a review of the paradigmatic context of broch towers in 2012, a revised standard model (the RSM) was defined. The then prevailing paradigm supports a view of broch remains as single monuments of highly variable form that continued in use over perhaps a millennium or more, without significant modification of their original tectonics i.e. their people/constructed-space relationships. This thesis challenges the pre-2012 paradigm by testing the hypothesis that brochs were built to the standard canonical form of the RSM and that their apparent diversity results from anthropic and, or natural modification, not design variability. The fieldwork tests could but did not find refutation of these hypotheses in the observable evidence and offered more profound interpretations of several surviving feature-types. The loading on the stone lintels of the entrance passage through the massively built outer wall and the structurally overladen inner wall created a major structural challenge, evoking a complex engineering solution. Its elements were individually noted pre-2012 but the significance of the engineering response to compression management had not been identified. This structural response was necessary for
approaching mind builder analysis physical structural social constraint construction broch tower iron_age scotland following_review paradigmatic context broch tower revise standard model define prevail paradigm support_view broch remain single monument highly variable form continue_use perhaps millennium without significant modification original people constructed space relationship challenge pre paradigm test_hypothesis brochs build standard canonical form apparent diversity anthropic natural modification design variability fieldwork test could refutation hypothesis observable evidence offer profound interpretation several survive feature types load stone entrance passage massively build outer wall structurally inner wall create major structural challenge evoke complex engineering solution element individually note pre significance engineering response compression management identify structural response necessary