Crannóg in the Loch of Wasbister
The Crannóg in the Loch of Wasbister on the Orkney island of Rousay in Scotland was provisionally examined in 2004. There is a second island in the lake that is also said to be a Crannóg .
The artificial island called Burrian (the name occurs more often, e.g. Broch von Burrian , and always denotes Iron Age installations) has a large walled, bordered enclosure of unknown date, which is divided into two areas by a transverse wall. The larger of the two parts is completely overgrown by a splendid raspberry thicket. The smaller part in the west is roughly trapezoidal and less overgrown.
The island was explored underwater by divers. The edge has a largely artificial appearance due to stones. The plates come from the area, but there was no systematic structure under water. There are places on the edge of the island just above the waterline where masonry could be seen and it is likely that many of the panels in the water were from that wall. The level in the lake is higher today than in the past. One area where stones were seen in situ involved the remains of a sizable dam leading to the lake's west shore. It is remarkably similar in appearance to the dam in the Loch of Stenness and is made of large stone slabs. It ends just before it reaches the bank.
On the east side of the lake, a dam leads to the nearby sea. Aerial photographs show a number of structures in the shallow water of the coast where the dam ends.
context
The Wasdale Crannóg on Rousay is the Orkney's best-studied Crannóg. Houses from the Pictish period have been discovered here. Another example is the one found in St Tredwell Loch on Papa Westray with St Tredwell's Chapel .
Web links
- Entry on Crannóg in the Loch of Wasbister in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- Description Engl. and pictures
Coordinates: 59 ° 10 '58.5 " N , 3 ° 3' 38.7" W.