Hidden Hillfort Revealed in Scotland on Summit of Arthur’s Seat

Archaeologists excavating on the legendary Arthur’s Seat summit in Scotland’s capital city have discovered the foundations of an ancient Edinburgh hillfort. The discovery was made on the north face of Arthur’s Seat above St Margaret’s Loch near the ruined 15th-century Saint Anthony’s chapel. Until now, the ruined chapel was the only significant ancient structure on Arthur’s Seat. However, recently the massive walls of an ancient Edinburgh hillfort were unearthed by archaeologists, shedding new light on the earliest periods of Scottish history.

Arthur’s Seat was described by writer Robert Louis Stevenson as “a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design.” In June 1836, a group of young boys were out rabbiting on the northeast side of Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park, when they discovered a bizarre collection of 17 “Lilliputian coffins” containing tiny dressed dolls, concealed in a recess in the rocks of the sacred hill. According to National Museums of Scotland it was this discovery that sparked stories associating the legendary King Arthur with Arthur’s Seat.