Rising from the ashes: Reconstructing roundhouses from what the flames have left behind

Building Archaeology usually refers to upstanding structures. The further we go back in time, the less likely we are to encounter upstanding buildings, in particular when constructed with perishable materials. This contribution explores the evidence at Birnie, Moray, NE Scotland, where initial results show that the very way of how these prehistoric roundhouses were built, used and destroyed has preserved enough for us to make some well-informed guesses.