The Story of a Clast

Abstract

First paragraph: What can one sample of vitrified rock – known as a clast – tell us of its creation? Formed in the great fire of Dun Deardail, our clast formed as minerals melted, glueing together bits of rock. What stories are hidden in it? What can it tell us about the vitrification event of Dun Deardail? We can look at this clast using differing scales of analysis from the hand-held samples examined with the naked eye, down to the microscopic analysis of single elements. Combined, the information contained at each scale can help write the story of the construction and destruction of the hillfort.