There are a variety of physically similar sites to Dùn Èistean around the coast of Lewis and the southern Western Isles, many of which have been occupied or used at the same time. There is also evidence from these sites of activity in the Iron Age or earlier prehistoric periods, and it is highly likely similar early evidence is awaiting discovery at Dùn Èistean below the later Dun and turf buildings.
The presence of comparable sites to Dùn Èistean along Lewis's coast and in the Western Isles, with evidence of Iron Age or earlier prehistoric activity, suggests a pattern of occupation and use that extends back further than the later Dun and turf structures at Dùn Èistean.