Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I wondered if other places had these man made structures ... as it says Scotland Ireland and Wales.. Im sure many people would have had these.. is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps that were built on the shores and were inundated only later on, crannogs were built in the water, thus forming artificial islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crannog
Many Scottish lochs are littered with small, tree-filled islands, poking their heads up just above the waterline. What most people don't realise is that they are often man-made islands, and once contained spectacular Iron Age dwellings. Thatched, timber roundhouses were supported on huge, wooden piles driven deep into the bed of the loch. The surrounding water was the inhabitants' defence.
There are over 600 recognised crannogs in Scotland. Some, such as Eilean Dòmhnuill in Loch Olabhat on North Uist, are believed to date back to Neolithic times. More commonly crannogs typically date to the Iron Age.
Crannogs were probably the centres of prosperous Iron Age farms, where people lived in an easily-defended location to protect themselves and their livestock from passing raiders.
The settlement would have consisted of a farm house, with cattle and crops being tended in nearby fields, and sheep on hill pastures. Local woodlands would have serviced the home with fruit, hazelnuts, wild cabbage and medicines, as well as with wild boar and other woodland animals suitable for hunting.
Yes they are intriguing constructs. I wonder though just how much work they would have taken to assemble. Is it something that would require several generations to build? Just how did they drive those large wooden piles into the lake bottom? Perhaps an experiment is needed to see if we can reproduce the methods?
Yes they are intriguing constructs. I wonder though just how much work they would have taken to assemble. Is it something that would require several generations to build? Just how did they drive those large wooden piles into the lake bottom? Perhaps an experiment is needed to see if we can reproduce the methods?
some of the poles can be seen in rivers and lochs all over Scotland to this day rj.. they are all now recontructions as only the poles into the sea are left.. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/1280...39325/?lp=true
I visited a reconstructed Crannog in Ireland in 2004. I can probably find some pictures to post. It was set up on a small Island with several structures including a large hut.
My impression at the time is that it would be very labor intensive to make and to justify the time and energy would be difficult.
I visited a reconstructed Crannog in Ireland in 2004. I can probably find some pictures to post. It was set up on a small Island with several structures including a large hut.
My impression at the time is that it would be very labor intensive to make and to justify the time and energy would be difficult.
would love to see the photos , where in Ireland was this , Id love to have seen them...
I visited a reconstructed Crannog in Ireland in 2004. I can probably find some pictures to post. It was set up on a small Island with several structures including a large hut.
My impression at the time is that it would be very labor intensive to make and to justify the time and energy would be difficult.
It would have been ... but maybe it gave them a sense of safety like a small castle in a way..
Very interesting, thanks for posting. They are beautiful....
they are actually quite beautiful
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
