Dunsinane Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dunsinane Hill |
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Dunsinane Hill from Black Hill.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 310 m (1,020 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 53 m |
| Listing | none |
| Geography | |
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| Parent range | Sidlaws |
| OS grid | NO213316 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 53 |
Dunsinane Hill (pronounced dun-SIN-ən) is a famous hill in Scotland. It is located near the village of Collace in Perthshire, within the Sidlaws mountain range. This hill is well-known because it appears in Macbeth, a famous play by William Shakespeare.
In the play, a magical being tells Macbeth that he will never be defeated "until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him." This line is a key part of the story!
Dunsinane Hill is about 310 meters (1,017 feet) tall. From its top, you can see amazing views of the land around it. The hill is also home to an ancient Iron Age hill fort. You can still see the old walls, called ramparts, that were part of this fort. In the 1800s, some people dug around the site because of its connection to Shakespeare. However, these digs were not done scientifically, so they didn't really help us learn much about the fort's history.
Dunsinane is also believed to be the place where a battle happened in the year 1054. In this battle, Siward, Earl of Northumbria is said to have defeated Macbeth. Even though the old hill fort is often called "Macbeth's Castle," there's no proof from archaeology that Macbeth or anyone else used it around the mid-1000s.
Contents
Understanding the Name Dunsinane
How to Say Dunsinane
In Shakespeare's play, the name "Dunsinane" is often said with the stress on the first or third part. This helps it rhyme with words like "bane." However, the correct way to say it is with the stress on the second part, like "dun-SIN-an."
What Dunsinane Means
You might also see the name spelled "Dunsinnan." The name comes from the Gaelic language. It means "the hill of ants." Some people think this name might refer to how many people it took to build the old fortress on the hill. It would have been a huge effort, like many ants working together!
Visiting Dunsinane Hill
If you want to visit Dunsinane Hill, the easiest way to get there is from the village of Collace in Perthshire. Collace is on the northern side of the hill.
There's a small parking area between the village and a quarry. It's usually big enough for about 4 or 5 cars. From there, a path goes straight up to the top of the hill. It's a bit steep, but the path is clear and easy to follow.
See also
In Spanish: Dunsinane para niños
