Loch Glashan Crannóg

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The early medieval Loch Glashan Crannóg in Kilmichael Glassary, northeast of Lochgilphead in Argyll and Bute in Scotland was excavated by Jack Scott in 1960 when the water level of Loch Glashan was lowered for the construction of a hydroelectric power station. In contrast to the other (round) Crannógs, it is rectangular and measured 7.5 × 4.5 m.

The excavation of the Crannóg , originally interpreted as a living space , which is about 40 m from the south-west bank of the lake, produced a rich collection of organic materials such as wooden (two paddles and a dugout canoe made of oak) and leather objects as well as exotic, continental pottery and one with Amber decorated brooch. A. Crone and E. Campbell re-examined all the finds from the Crannóg in 2004. New radiocarbon dates and datable artifacts point to a long chronology of the pile dwelling during the 1st millennium AD. This chronology contrasts with the sparse structural remains, which can hardly prove that the Crannóg was used for hundreds of years. This contradiction was also examined. One possible explanation is that stratigraphy is the result of a consequence of wind and water erosion.

Examining the artifacts from Loch Glashan brought new information. The most important is the discovery of the oldest leather bag for books, which could have been used by monks between the 6th and 8th centuries. Its presence on the Crannóg is obscure, but other artificial evidence suggests that the Crannóg may have been a workshop where local artisans worked leather and produced exotic items for the aristocracy of the early medieval kingdom of Dal Riata .

literature

  • Anne Crone & Ewan Campbell: A Crannog of the First Millennium AD: Excavations by Jack Scott at Loch Glashan, Argyll, 1960. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2005 Edinburgh, UK. ISBN 9780903903363
  • Horace Fairhurst: A medieval island settlement in Loch Glashan, Argyll In: Glasgow Archaeological Journal. Volume 1, Page 47-67 doi : 10.3366 / gas.1969.1.1.47 , ISSN  1471-5767 , Available Online 1969.

Web links

Coordinates: 56 ° 4 '47 "  N , 5 ° 21' 2.3"  W.