Archaeolink Prehistory Park

Archaeolink Prehistory Park was an attraction designed to allow visitors to interpret and interact with Scotland's past. The park is located at Oyne, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Inverurie in the Garioch District of Aberdeenshire. It lies in an area rich in archaeological remains, including stone circles, Iron-Age hill-forts and Pictish symbol stones. Having failed to attract expected visitor numbers, it closed in 2011.

Following seven years of planning, Archaeolink was opened in 1997 by Tony Robinson, star of the television series Time Team, and cost £4 million to construct. It is run by the Archaeolink Trust, formed in 1993.

Archaeolink comprises an indoor exhibition and the outdoor park. The exhibition centre was constructed in sympathy with the landscape, comprising an earth mound whose external walls are made of glass. The exhibition incorporates a number of elements exploring four main themes; namely prehistoric technology, early agriculture, environmental change and early beliefs and rituals. The periods covered include Early Man, Mesolithic Hunters and Gatherers, the Iron Age, Celtic and Roman.

Visitors see a dramatic film presentation, various exhibition galleries, a computer simulation of past and future landscapes and are able to plan their own personalised tour around the prehistoric monuments of Aberdeenshire. Children can enjoy interactive activities, including ancient crafts and Roman games.

Outside, the 16-ha (40-acre) parkland setting includes various reconstructions; namely an Iron Age Farm of around 100 BC with ancient animal breeds and tools and a Roman Marching Camp (from the 1st Century AD). Each is based on archaeological evidence from genuine sites and includes costumed actors who contribute to historical re-enactments. A pathway takes the visitor up on Berry Hill to the remains of real hut circle and, further on, an Iron Age enclosed settlement. Both were excavated in 1999. A viewpoint looks out on a rolling landscape which includes a clutch of prehistoric hill-forts and various Neolithic and Bronze Age sites.


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