Archaeologists have brought 5,000 years of Lewis history to life with the launch of a new immersive archaeology experience focused on Loch an Dùin in Point.
The archaeology team from UHI North, West and Hebrides have developed the digital technology in partnership with community-owned wind farm charity, Point and Sandwick Trust (PST) and heritage society Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha.
Lewis Unearthed uses augmented reality in a free app that reveals how people may have lived at Loch an Dùin in Bayble from the Neolithic period through the Iron Age and into medieval times.
The experience was launched at Ionad Stoodie in Point on Tuesday (29 September) at 2pm, followed by a visit to Loch an Dùin where guests were encouraged to use their mobile phones on the site to experience the digital reconstructions within the landscape.
Lewis poet Anne Frater, who had been commissioned to write a poem inspired by Loch an Dùin, was among those who attended and read out her poem as part of the event.
Lewis Unearthed is the latest part of a series of augmented reality experiences from across the Western Isles which have been delivered by the archaeology team from UHI North, West and Hebrides (UHI NWH).
It builds on the team’s award-winning Uist Virtual Archaeology Project and the subsequent Barra and Harris Unearthed projects. The Uist project received British Archaeological Awards for Outstanding Achievement, Innovation, and Public Dissemination and Presentation in 2022.
Together, the Unearthed projects demonstrate how UHI NWH archaeological expertise and digital innovation can make the internationally-significant heritage of the Outer Hebrides more accessible and engaging for island communities and visitors.
The Outer Hebrides Unearthed app is free to download from app stores by searching “Outer Hebrides Unearthed”.
The project has been facilitated by archaeologists at UHI NWH based at Cnoc Soilleir in South Uist and working as part of the wider UHI Archaeology Institute.
Dr Rebecca Rennell, of the UHI NWH archaeology team, paid tribute to the community organisations for initiating the project and invited similar approaches.
She said: “We were delighted to be approached by Point and Sandwick Trust and Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha last year to help develop this new archaeology trail in Lewis.
“Community engagement and co-production have always been at the heart of the Unearthed projects at UHI North, West and Hebrides. However, this project represents an entirely new approach to partnership working for us, with the collaboration initiated and led by a community organisation.
“It’s been fantastic working together and we’d love to develop similar partnerships with other groups across the Outer Hebrides interested in adding their archaeological heritage to the Unearthed archaeology trails.”
DJ MacSween, general manager of Point and Sandwick Trust, said: “Improving local and visitor access to the rich archaeology of the Point and Sandwick area has been one of the key objectives in our development plan, and Lewis Unearthed is an exciting way of helping us to do that.
“We hope Loch an Dùin is just the start of improving understanding of and access to other archaeological sites across our area. We’re delighted that the next potential phase at Eaglais na h-Aoidhe is already being explored and look forward to seeing how Lewis Unearthed can develop from here.”
Lewis is famed for archaeological landmarks including the standing stones at Calanais, the broch at Càrlabhagh and the blackhouse at Àrnol but hundreds of other significant archaeological sites can be found across the island.
Lewis Unearthed aims to make some of this lesser-known heritage more visible and accessible, using archaeological research and digital technology to allow people to experience the past in the places where it happened.
Drawing on decades of research, the free Outer Hebrides Unearthed app allows users at Loch an Dùin in Pabail (Bayble) to explore life-sized augmented reality reconstructions showing how settlement at the site could have changed over time.
Users can explore reconstructed buildings, look inside them and hear the crackle of fires as they experience interpretations of Loch an Dùin during the Neolithic, Iron Age and medieval periods.
Islet sites such as Loch an Dùin also provide evidence of how communities returned to and reused places that already held significance, sometimes thousands of years after their original occupation.
Local archaeologist and Point resident Carol Knott provided the academic research underpinning the Lewis Unearthed models and interpretation.
Following the site visit, guests heard from Dr Rennell who presented proposals for Eaglais na h-Aoidhe as a potential future phase of Point and Sandwick Trust’s involvement in Lewis Unearthed.
Download Outer Hebrides Unearthed app here
Photos by SandiePhotos at https://www.sandiephotos.com/
