Crannóg in Loch Bhorgastail
The Crannóg in Loch Bhorgastail was investigated from 2016 in the context of survey work on Loch Bhorgastail (lake) in the north of the Hebridean island of Lewis and Harris in Scotland . Diver-assisted exploration of the artificial island made it possible to identify numerous Neolithic ceramic fragments. No material from later periods was encountered, suggesting that a Neolithic date is very likely. After the geophysical surveys in 2016, small excavations and photometric recordings were carried out on the Crannóg in 2017 .
The above water area appeared to be constructed as an outer “ring” of stones, which contained a lower inner “base” or “floor” of stones. The stone base appeared to be covered by dark brown, peaty soil deposits, which are probably related to the island's Neolithic periods of use. The photometric survey over water was carried out with a drone . A significant number of machined woods have been observed, in addition to those identified on previous occasions. This suggests a possibly extensive wooden structure that survived underwater on the east side of the island.
Dating
So far, from 800 B.C. Hundreds of crannógs (artificial islands made of wood and stone) emerged in the shallow sea areas of Scotland and Ireland as the earliest examples. Up until the Middle Ages , the islands, which were up to 30 meters in size, were used as dwelling, workshop or retreat.
In the 1980s, archaeologists on the Hebridean island of North Uist came across a Crannog that, according to the radiocarbon dates, appeared to be significantly older. However, because no other similarly old islands were discovered, the age of the Eilean Dhomhnaill called Crannóg remained a matter of dispute . More older Crannógs were recently discovered on the Hebridean island of Lewis ( Loch Arnish , Loch Langavat ). The dates showed that they come from the Neolithic Age (3640 to 3360 BC). This means that the artificial islands are thousands of years older than almost all of the Crannógs examined so far. It is believed that other man-made islands in Scotland and Ireland also date from this period.
purpose
Some of the islands are connected to the lake shore by a stone dam. The others could have been accessible via wooden walkways or were approached by boat.
The purpose of the crannógs is puzzling. Numerous ceramic vessels were discovered at the bottom of the lake around the islands, which apparently had been thrown intact into the water. Traces of soot show that the pots were previously exposed to the fire and were therefore used. The islands can have been places of social gatherings, ritual celebrations or social occasions. It stands to reason that the events that took place on the islands were lifted out of everyday life.
literature
- D. Garrow: Loch Bhorgastail, Survey and photogrammetric recording , In: Discovery Excav Scot, New, Vol. 18, 2017. Cathedral Communications Limited, Wiltshire, England. P. 200
- F. Sturt. D Garrow: The submerged Neolithic of the Western Isles Project, Survey, Discovery Excav Scot, New, Vol. 18, 2017. Cathedral Communications Limited, Wiltshire, England, pp. 194-195
Web links
- Description Engl. and picture
- Entry on Crannóg in Loch Bhorgastail in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
Coordinates: 58 ° 16 ′ 6.7 ″ N , 6 ° 45 ′ 25.8 ″ W.