From a distance, many of the ruins can look unimpressive.

A low mound of turf-covered stone hardly resembles a medieval European settlement.

But scale changes when the buildings are reconstructed mentally.

A byre was not simply a barn.

It was a winter survival machine.

Livestock represented stored wealth, food, labor, and future reproduction.

Keeping animals alive through the winter meant feeding them hay that had been gathered during the short growing season.

A poor hay harvest could therefore become a crisis months later.