|
Oakbank Crannog is one of 18 crannogs in Loch Tay, Perthshire located off the village of Fearnan on the north shore. It was originally built of timber, utilising piles (stilts) driven into the loch bed to create a platform above the water supporting a settlement. Structural remains include an Early Iron Age house floor covered with bracken and ferns; stakes and piles that supported the woven hazel walls and roof of the house; and 40 elm and oak stumps mark the remains of a walkway which led to the shore. Artefacts such as a cultivation implement (ard), animal bones, fruit, nuts, and well-preserved plant remains provide clear evidence of a farming lifestyle with substantial reliance on the exploitation of the surrounding natural environment. Other finds- such as wooden utensils, fir candles (light sticks) and even a tiny whistle- indicate the lochdwellers had detailed knowledge of the properties of wood and selected certain species for specific purposes. Some of these discoveries are on display at the Scottish Crannog Centre.
Excavation of the site is incomplete; it relies on grant funding to carry out the work and for the conservation of artefacts and analysis of environmental samples. Funding permitted, the STUA plans to resume the exavation and survey of the site in the future as part of the training provided in field schools in underwater archaeology. |
|