Beehive hut
Clochán or beehive hut ( Engl. Beehive hut , ir. Clochán (plur. Clocháin ), of Cloch "stone") is the name for most round Kraggewölbebauten dry stone .
distribution
British Islands
The huts, some of which are still preserved, were built in the Iron Age and in the early Christian period , and in some cases in the modern era . The greatest concentration is found on the coast of the Dingle Peninsula . Particularly beautiful specimens can be found in Caher Conor near Fahan, near Ventry and on the rocky island of Skellig Michael west of the Iveragh Peninsula , both in County Kerry . The last remaining beehive hut on the Aran Islands is the Clochán na Carraige . In County Sligo are Clocháin on the island of Innishmurray . On Slieve League ( "Gray Mountain") on the west coast of County Donegal you will find the northernmost Clochán Ireland.
To the east of Lonfearn in Scotland are the so-called druids' houses . Other interesting specimens can be found on the Isle of Skye and the small island of Eileach on Naoimh in the Garvellachs archipelago with a double hut . In Cornwall , Bosporthennis is another example across the Irish Sea . There are one round and one rectangular huts here.
France
Stone huts made of dry masonry can also be found in many areas of southern and southwestern France. The regional names vary, borie or cahute in Provence , capitelle in Roussillon , cabane in Périgord , caselle in Quercy , and others.
Catalonia
Especially in the wine-growing regions of Catalonia (e.g. Pla de Bages ) there are still a number of stone huts ( barracas ) in which guards were available shortly before and during the grape harvest to drive away uninvited guests (flocks of birds, wild boars or thieves).
Castile
Especially in the wine-growing regions of Castile (e.g. Cigales northeast of Valladolid ) there are still numerous field stone huts (chozos) that served guards as shelter and / or overnight accommodation shortly before and during the grape harvest .
design type
The beehive huts are built using drywall. They were put together in several parallel layers without any sealing or binding material such as mortar , until they formed a cantilever vault . They mostly stand individually as parts of groups, but occasionally also form double or multiple structures. At Ventry on the Dingle Peninsula in were early Middle Ages about 400 beehive huts built in a confined space. Clochán na Carraige on the Aran island of Inishmore is a rare construction variant . It has two opposite entrances that look like a passage. It is oval on the outside and rectangular on the inside.
purpose
Some of the early specimens, such as the Clocháin on Skellig Michael , were part of early Christian monasteries . The complex on Eileach an Naoimh also belonged to a monastery that was probably founded by Saint Brendan . Other specimens, u. a. probably also those at Ventry on the Dingle Peninsula, belonged to older complexes. Most of the huts have not been used for a long time. Some were used as storerooms and storerooms or stables until the 20th century .
See also
literature
- Peter Harbison : Pre-Christian Ireland. From the first settlers to the early Celts (= Ancient People and Places. No. 104). Thames and Hudson, London 1988, ISBN 0-500-02110-4 .
Web links
- Beehive huts in Dingle - Photos
- Capitelles in southwest France - photos + info
- Cabanes in Périgord - photos + info (in French)
- Video