 According to the Scotsman's newspaper, which will be linked below, archaeologists have unearthed a historical Scottish settlement lost since the massacre of Glencoe. Glencoe is one of the most magnificent areas of natural wilderness in the whole of Britain, but also home to one of the worst atrocities. From Loch Leven on its northern end to vast empty spaces of Ronecmore further south, the Glencoe pass is skirted on either by huge imposing mountains. The rugged beauty of the area and the often arctic weather make the area a hotspot for climbers and skiers today. However, the temperamental weather of February 13th, 1692, was the death nail of the clan McDonald. Archaeologists hope to trace the lost settlements of the Glencoe massacre for the first time and place the human story of the atrocity back into one of Scotland's most visited landscapes. National Trust of Scotland has carried out initial survey work at three former settlements, which fall within its property and the Glen with more detailed studies due to follow. Derek Alexander, head of archaeology at the Trust, said the work would enrich the understanding of the cultural heritage of the Glen. The story goes that at five o'clock in the morning on the 13th of February 1692 and as a blizzard howled down from the rugged peaks of the Glen, Redcoat soldiers from the Duke of Argyll's regiment began an indiscriminate slaughter of the McDonald's of Glencoe. Up and down the Glen, shots rang out in the darkness, some were killed in their beds, others while fleeing from the carnage, while others still would be lost among the mountains and die of exposure. It was sudden, unexpected, and swift. In the morning, 38 lay dead in the snow, among them the chief of the clan, Alasdair McClain and his wife. The massacre bore all the hallmarks of a clan Vandetta, part of the long-standing feud between the McDonald's and the Campbell's. This is what the government wanted people to believe. This was the official line, but the truth ran much deeper and the causes and blames reached to the highest offices in the land. The massacre of Glencoe came against the backdrop of civil war in the British Isles. Two rival dynasties vied for the throne in far off London, but the fighting, the repercussions, and the bloodshed would be felt most in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. King James VII of Scotland and II of England was hot-headed, naïve, politically callous, and worst of all for many Protestants, he was adherent to the Catholic faith. When in 1688 his wife gave birth to a son, assuring the Catholic succession, he was ousted in a bloodless coup by the English establishment. The English throne at this point was offered to William of Orange, the Statholder of Holland. James fled to France and William landed and was proclaimed without resistance and became known to Protestants affectionately as King Billy. In Scotland the situation was more complicated. James was a steward, the native dynasty of Scotland, and both he and his family enjoyed far more support there. The Scottish Parliament was split, but in 1689 it also agreed to exile James and invite William to be King of Scotland as well. Many, both inside the chamber and in the country at large, were aghast. A rival faction emerged in Edinburgh and rode north to garner support for the stewards and take arms in rebellion against William. Taking their name from the Latin for James, Lacomas, they called themselves the Jacobites and were led by the chrismatic John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee. Claverhouse immortalized as Bonnie Dundee was a maverick genius who knew exactly how to get the best out of his men and were to find those men in the Scottish Highlands. The Highland clans with their chiefs, captains, loyalty, and myrtle heritage were the perfect breeding ground for the kind of militia Dundee needed and they supported for the most part the exiled King James. On the 27th of July 1689, while defending the strategically important Blair Castle in Highland Pritzhire, the Jacobites won a stunning victory over the government forces at the pass of Kilicrankey. However, as he rode out over a scene of unimaginable glory, Claverhouse was shot from his horse and died a few hours later. With the death of their leader, the cause became rudderless and collapsed a fortnight later at the Battle of Dunkeld, support for James went underground. William of Orange's main concern in life was fighting the French in the Low Countries and the last thing he needed was to spend money, time, and soldiers keeping the peace in the Highlands. The new regime was determined to control the North and bring the clan chiefs to heel. The King turned to his Secretary of State for Scotland John Dowrymple of Stair to solve the Highland problem. The massacre of Glinka was not the bloodiest, not the most treacherous act in the history of the Highlands, but it was murder under trust that could not be forgiven. The bond of trust, even among enemies which had helped people survive in the wild Highlands, was broken for good. It was the beginning of the end and for that all were to blame. The nation of Scotland, although used to war and murder in its many forms, was outraged by the callous of the massacre of Glinka. For the Jacobites in Edinburgh, it was a powerful piece of anti-government propaganda and inquiry was held and Scottish Parliament declared the whole affair an act of murder. John Dowrymple the Master of Stair resigned and the matter was forgotten by the government and Scotland it passed into legend. The Campbells were accursed in much of the Highlands and even to this day the old clackag in at Glinka carries the sign on its door, no Campbells. What do you guys think about this anyway? Comments below and as always, thank you for watching.