Crannog

Reconstructed crannog on Loch Tay

A crannog (also crannóg or crannoge) is the name given in Scotland and Ireland to an artificial island or natural island, used for a settlement. The name can also be used to refer to wooden platforms erected on shallow loch floors, although understandably few remains of this sort have been found.

The choice of an island as a home is thought to have been for defence as well as the availability of food in the form of fish nearby. The crannog could be reached from the nearest shore by means of a causeway built up with stones, or else a wooden gangway built atop raised piles. An example of a reconstructed crannog is located at the Scottish Crannog Centre at Loch Tay, Tayside.

The islet of Eilean Domhnuill, Loch Olabhat on North Uist may be the earliest crannog, dated to 3200-2800 BC in the Neolithic period. Most crannogs were in use from the Iron Age through to the early Medieval period, at about the same time as the brochs, the wags, duns and the larger roundhouses.

The highest concentrations of crannogs (in Scotland) are found in several lochs within Dumfries and Galloway region, although many have been found in the highlands as well. In the Grampian Highlands a well known crannog was built by the Burnetts of Leys, whose family thence moved nearby to the present 16th century Crathes Castle.

Reconstructed crannogs are located in Craggaunowen, Ireland; the Irish National Heritage Park [link], Wexford, Ireland; and on Loch Tay in Scotland.

A variant of the crannog was the island dun, which was a stone fort placed on a small, rocky island in a lochan, or small lake. These were usually reached by means of a causeway built up from the nearest shore. The dun is the gaelic word for castle, and a number of Scottish castles use 'Dun-' as a prefix.

Construction

The construction of the prehistoric crannog began on a small island or shoal that was located within a loch or marsh. This rise was surrounded by a circle of oak piles with axe-sharpened bases that were driven into the bottom, forming a circular enclosure of about 200 ft. in diameter. The piles were then joined together by interlaced branches and wattle. The interior surface was then built up, first with wooden logs, then with branches and rocks, clay, peat, and other earthen materials. At the center a large stone hearth was built with large flat stones, and a wooden home was constructed around it. Sometimes multiple homes were built on a single crannog.

This prehistoric fortification was occupied by a family or tribe, and access was often achieved by means of dugout canoe. However, many were connected to shore by timber or stone causeways, sometimes lying just beneath the surface of the water concealing them from potentially hostile intruders. The bones of cattle, deer, and swine have been found in excavated crannogs.

References

Morrison, I. 1985 Landscape with Lake Dwellings Edinburgh University Press
Crone, A. 2000 The History of a Scottish Lowland Crannog: excavations at Buiston AOC/STAR Monograph 4, Edinburgh
Cavers, M.G. and Henderson, J.C 2005 Underwater Excavation at Ederline Crannog, Loch Awe, Argyll, Scotland International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, vol.34.2, pp.278-94
O'Sullivan, A. 1998 The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland Discovery Programme, Dublin
Fredengrem C. 2002 Crannogs Wordwell, Bray

External links

[The Scottish Crannog Centre] Reconstruction of a crannog.
[Channel 4 Time Team on Crannogs] The Channel 4 Time Team on Crannogs.
[Channel 4 Time Team at Loch Migdale] The Channel 4 Time Team excavation at Loch Migdale, January 2004.
[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland] A searchable database of archaeological sites in Scotland, including crannogs (requires free registration).

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