Dun

A Scottish/Irish term for a fortified stone dwelling place. There are large duns of hill-fort type and small defended homesteads. Some examples, of both ring fort and promontory fort types, have galleries or passages within the drystone enclosure wall. The oldest duns belong to the late Iron Age, but they continued to be built into the early Christian and medieval periods.

Term used for stone-built fortified settlements found in western and northern Scotland. Most are quite small, representing an individual homestead, but the term is sometimes applied to larger settlements defended with stone walls. Many duns were built in the later Iron Age,but they continued to be built in the post-Roman period. Characteristic features are very thick stone walls with internal rooms and galleries.