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Explore an underground Iron Age complex rediscovered in a field near Monifieth.

At about 40m long, Carlungie Earth House is one of the largest and most complex examples of its kind in Scotland. It was accidentally discovered during ploughing in 1949. Subsequent excavations during the following two years also revealed about eight associated stone dwellings at ground level.

Earth houses, or souterrains as they are also known, were not dwellings, but stone-lined underground passages which typically date to the Iron Age. They’re found along much of eastern Scotland, as well as in Ireland, Cornwall and Brittany.

aerial view of grassy field with a large L shape outlined in exposed earth, an earth house used for storage in Iron Age Scotland
a rectangular patch of grass with an earth shape in the middle of it, set into a stripey looking field and surrounded by tractor tyre marks. Other fields and hills are visible in the distance behind it

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Membership

Ideal for regular visitors and heritage supporters

Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events

Two adults, holding hands with two young children, walk through a graveyard, with historical stone ruins in the background. It is a sunny day.
  • Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events
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Perfect for short-term trips and sightseeing

Valid for 14 consecutive days

A family walking across a grassy lawn with the New Abbey Corn Mill building in the background.
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