Ancient Crannogs Of Ireland And Scotland

By | June 13, 2019

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Reconstructed 2500 year old crannog, prehistoric dwelling at the Scottish Crannog Centre on Loch Tay near Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK. Source: (Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Crannogs are artificial islands made by man in ancient times and used for residences, settlements, or even craft centers and forts.

It has been thought that most crannogs were built around Scotland during the Iron Age because, during that time, they made dwelling places in the middle of bodies of water. Now there are researchers who believe that a lot of the crannogs in Scotland could go back to the Stone Age or Neolithic period.  

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Neolithic Pottery. Source: (commons.wikimedia.org)

As recent as 2012, someone spotted a piece of pottery around the crannogs off the western mainland of Scotland that was distinguished as Neolithic pottery. While researching the area, archaeologists identified five artificial islets as having Neolithic origins by using radiocarbon dating of pottery that was found near these sites. There is still a lot of research to be done by archaeologists to determine the purpose of building these crannogs in this particular area as there were no other signs of life or evidence of death either such as tombs near the area.