ALMOST 700 school pupils have got to grips with history as archaeology experts dig deeper in Scotland’s architectural past.
The Caithness Broch Project (CBP) and Caithness Horizons Museum worked with hundreds of youngsters in a four-day push to develop their knowledge of the area’s rich history.
The region has more sites where the unique Iron Age roundhouses once stood than anywhere else, and earlier this week it emerged that possible evidence of a medieval Norse meeting place has been found near Thurso.
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Further examination of the Thing’s Va broch will be carried out as part of CBP’s year-long Caithness Broch Festival.
A series of digs in the region are scheduled to begin next week, with activity set to continue into a day of expert talks on October 21 in an event dubbed Brochtoberfest by organisers.
A one-off Lego model of the ancient structures will remain on display in the gallery of Caithness Horizons until that event.
Made from as many as 10,000 plastic pieces, the bite-sized broch helped capture the imaginations of local youngsters during last month’s learning drive, which also saw specialists from the School of Ancient Crafts living history organisation travel to Caithness.
Katy Firth of the Edinburgh-based charity led the pupils in hands-on workshops covering food production, plant life and the building of broch roofs.
Meanwhile, children were also given the chance to build digital brochs using the Minecraft game.
Kenneth McElroy of CBP said: “The children were brilliant and really engaged with all of the activities.
“They were especially impressed when I opened the Lego Broch and showed them the inside of the building.”
Tickets for Brochtoberfest are available for £15 and are can be bought from Caithness Horizons.
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