Researchers from the University of Southampton have just uncovered an intriguing detail about a Neolithic artificial island in the Western Isles.
The island – known as a crannog – was believed to have built of stone. However, thanks to a recent excavation, archaeologists have discovered that it is in fact constructed on a platform made entirely of wood in the Early Bronze Age.
The university’s Dr Stephanie Blankshein observed: “When we started excavating we realised that it was actually this coherent, quite large timber structure that was under what you would see as the stone island today.”
The revelation has changed the long accepted wisdom about how crannogs – ancient, largely artificial island dwellings found in lakes and marshes, mostly in Scotland and Ireland – were built in the Western Isles. The same technique is believed to have been employed at other such islands nearby.
Artificial island older than Stonehenge
The crannog in question was discovered in 2009 in Loch Bhorgastail on the Isle of Lewis. It has now been dated to between 3500 and 3300 BCE, making it older than Stonehenge (where construction began around 3000 BCE).
Work carried out by archaeologists in the last five years has built up a picture of the changes it went through over the millennia. The crannog was first built over 5,000 years ago with a circular platform made of timber. It was around 75ft in diameter and dressed with brushwood. Come the Middle Bronze Age – about 2,000 years later – a layer of stone and another layer of brushwood were placed on top.
Further modifications were made roughly 2,000 years ago during the Iron Age. Access to the structure from the shore of the loch was by means of a stone causeway that now lies below the water.
The ancient crannog is one of hundreds that have survived the march of time in lochs around Scotland.
“While we still don't know exactly why these islands were built,” Dr Blankshein added, “the resources and labour required to construct them suggests not only complex communities capable of such feats, but also the great significance of these sites.”
Exploring the loch bed around the crannog, the archaeologists made further discoveries, unearthing hundreds of pieces of Neolithic pottery.
And using small waterproof cameras they also created images of the island both above and below the water line employing a technique called photogrammetry. A diver steered the cameras into very specific positions with pinpoint accuracy. Photographs were then taken from various angles and stitched together digitally to create a model of the crannog.
The pioneering approach is explained in a freshly published article in the journal Advances in Archaeological Practice.
Where can I visit a crannog?
You can see reconstructed crannogs across Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
The Scottish Crannog Centre at Loch Tay, Scotland (pictured) provides an immersive experience with a rebuilt thatched roundhouse and a range of activities open to the public, including blacksmithing and cooking. Find it at Dalerb on the banks of Loch Tay near Kenmore in the Highlands.
The Welsh Crannog Centre at Llangorse Lake in South Wales boasts the only known crannog in Wales (or England), and displays exhibits on its construction.
Another major crannog site is the Craggaunowen Heritage Museum in County Clare, Ireland, which includes a crannog, ring fort and castle.
Staying in Ireland, the Irish National Heritage Park at County Wexford offers a deep dive into historical Irish life and includes a crannog in a natural setting.
