Tiny Tuesday: "Vitrification"

A fascinating aspect of Scotland's history is the mystery of "vitrified forts". These are sites where the stones in a fortification have, through the action of intense heat, been fused into a glassy matrix. No one knows how this was done, or why. Theories range from attempts to strengthen a defensive structure, enemy siege or ritual "closing" of a site, through to alien attacks and ancient nuclear weaponry!!

This little sample was given to me by someone who assured me that it was found lying on the ground and was absolutely not howked out of an ancient monument! The black glassy matrix is the vitrification.