Din Eidyn was a Pictish fortress from around 1500 BC until the coming of the Saxons. The fortress was built atop the basalt core of an extinct volcano, which rises some 800 feet above the low-lying area which is today's Edinburgh. The south and west sides of the hill are well protected by the natural cliff barrier of the Salisbury Crags, while the east side it guarded by Dinsapie Loch. Access was from the north end, which still offers a formidable slope. The hillfort was further secured be a ring-wall of drystone, and a secondary wall, partway down the eastern slope added another barrier. The enclosed area may have been as large as 500 by 150 feet. It is difficult to tell because most of the stone walls have been taken for use in other buildings. However, it appears there were a number of structures within the fortress.

Below the fort on the west side, was a shallow valley lying between Holyrood Mountain and the Salisbury Crags. This area has been intensively farmed over a period of many centuries. The slopes on both sides of the valley have been terraced to provide more level plots for crops. These lands were last cultivated in 1610, but the evidence still remains. On the lower slope of Dunsapie Crag, southeast of the main fort, there are additional iron-age farmsteads. Here also, the land has been terraced to prevent rapid runoff of the rainwater and subsequent erosion.

Archaeological finds from this area include two bronze swords and two axe head which date from 800 BC. A roman finger ring, showing Alexander the Great, was also found in this area. This is believed to come from the first century BC, and shows that there was contact between the locals and the Romans. Whether it was aquired through trade or as battle loot, will forever remain a mystery. Numerous artifacts have also been recovered from Dunsapie Loch. Spear heads, swords, a part of a shield and other weapons, were apparently "sacrificially" damaged and given to the lake. Stone tools and weapons have also been found in the area or the top ridge and "Arthur's Seat".


About 1 1/2 miles to the west of Holyrood, stands "The Rock", upon which the Castle of Edinburgh now resides. Before the building of the castle, this jagged chunk of galcier-hewn lava was the site of another strategic fort. First established as a hillfort in 620 AD, the rock was also home to an Iron-age settlement. The earliest known inhabitants in the area were the Votadini, who were also called the Gododdin, most notable for being immortalized by the bard Aneurin. The site is protected by natural defenses on all sides, being the ideal place for a fortress. The oldest remaining structure within the existing castle precincts is St. Margaret's Chapel, a Norman structure which dates from the twelfth century. Most of the rest of the buildings and walls date from the 1400's.

This latter site is the one today which most tourguides refer to as Dun Eidyn. Who is to say which is correct? Possibly both locations were known by the same name, but at different times. We know that the fortification atop Holyrood Mount was overrun by the Saxons about the same time "The Rock" came into prominence. It is quite possible that the survivors of the attack, regrouped and fortified this new position. Around 600 AD, three hundred men assembled around King Mynyddog in his stronghold at Din Eidyn. This war-band was preparing to attack the Angles, who were invading from Europe. In AD 638, Din Eidyn was put under siege and eventually fell to the Angles. From then on it was known as Edinburgh.