Posted on 07/20/2007 2:39:43 PM PDT by blam
'Lost' coronation abbey unearthed
Experts have found the abbey where Robert the Bruce was crowned
Archaeologists have unearthed the site where Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland. The location of the abbey at Moot Hill, the original home of the Stone of Destiny, was forgotten centuries ago.
But it has now been identified by experts from Glasgow University who have been surveying the grounds of Scone Palace for the first time.
They used scanners to detect buried structures and found part of the abbey church and a bell tower.
The coronation of Pictish and Scottish kings took place at Moot Hill for hundreds of years, and a royal abbey was built there by 1120AD.
Tremendous importance
The archaeologists have been examining the site using a sophisticated technique based on geophysical remote sensing.
Project leader Oliver O'Grady said: "We have been really surprised by the high quality of the survey results so far, revealing a very clear outline of the great west end of the abbey church, complete with at least one bell tower.
"The tremendous importance of Scone - where kings were made and where Parliaments met - is only matched by how little we know about the reality of the place.
"Now we can locate the essential outline of the church and hints of where the cloister and other buildings stood, and all without putting a spade in the ground."
Suzanne Urquhart from Mansfield Estates, which runs Scone Palace, added: "To see the plan of what was a beautiful Gothic church emerge from the ground after being lost for 400 years is very exciting.
"Some major gaps are being filled in our understanding of Scone's amazing history, and we are now talking to the archaeologists about how the project might develop."
The survey has also uncovered evidence of a massive ditch around Moot Hill as well as information about its construction.
Very cool, blam.
Wonderful!! Nice advance using technology.
How about "Crumpets Castle?"
Long live the Highlands and William Wallace's actual last words:
Quote from the article:
“”To see the plan of what was a beautiful Gothic church emerge from the ground after being lost for 400 years is very exciting.”
400 years, huh? Why 400 years ago? Must have been the Protestant Revolution.
what is a “bruce”? I always thought it was a coiffured guy who lithped.........
Why are these things always buried...where is all this dirt coming from?
All jokes aside, this is a wonderful find! I'll be looking forward to reading more as they dig further. Must be so exciting to be on-site with it all! PING!!
Excellent.
Nice write-up on Robert the Bruce here:
http://www.britannia.com/bios/robertbruce.html
“Robert Bruce is surely the greatest of all the great Scottish heroes, yet the Hollywood movie Braveheart gave all the heroics to his compatriot William Wallace, making Bruce out to be nothing more than a self-serving opportunist. However, it was the patience and cunning of Bruce that Scotland needed, not the impetuousness of Wallace, especially facing such formidable enemies as the English, first under Edward I and then under his son and heir Edward II. Bruce bided his time; he first had to establish his authority as King of Scotland. By the time of Bannockburn, he was ready.”
I always thought it was kind of a dumb title.
Donald the Duck makes more sense.
But I think “Bruce” means like “bearded one”, or somesuch.
I knew an Italian gal once and seems she was called “Maria the Bruce”.
You mean that he wasn’t Australian?
There were many with the surname Bruce, but Robert was THE Bruce.
I’ve thought that myself. Some of these things are really down there. What gives?
Now if they could just find Oliver Cromwell’s head ...
G’day, Bruce.
ping
LOL!!!
Nice link. I always thought the Stone of Scone was on an Island in the firth of forth.
Would that be the Moat of Moot?
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