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Crannogs
are a type of ancient loch-dwelling found throughout Scotland
and Ireland, while one has been discovered in Wales in Llangorse
Lake. Most are circular structures that seem to have been
built as individual homes to accommodate extended families.
Other types of loch settlements are also found in Scandinavian
countries and throughout Europe.
Crannogs
are also known as artificial or modified natural islands
and they were as much a product of their environment as
the period in which they were constructed.
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The
authentic crannog reconstruction which forms the focal
part of the Scottish Crannog Centre was built by the
Scottish
Trust for Underwater Archaeology or STUA. The
Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology is a registered
charity (number SCO18418) and was formed to promote
the research, recording, and preservation of Scotland's
underwater heritage.
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The
earliest loch-dwelling in Scotland is some 5,000 years old
but people built, modified, and re-used crannogs in Scotland
up until the 17th century AD. Throughout their long history
crannogs served as farmers' homesteads, status symbols,
refuges in times of trouble, hunting and fishing stations,
and even holiday residences. Here in Highland Perthshire,
the prehistoric crannogs were originally timber-built roundhouses
supported on piles or stilts driven into the lochbed.
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In
more barren environments and in later periods tons
of rock were piled onto the lochbed to make an island
on which to build a stone house. Today the crannogs
appear as tree-covered islands or remain hidden as
submerged stony mounds. Several hundred have been
discovered so far in Scotland although only a few
have been investigated. For a guide book providing
more information about Scottish crannogs, contact us at info@crannog.co.uk.
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Reconstructing
a Crannog
How
did the ancient people build their crannogs in the
water? Our team of underwater archaeologists carried
out a unique experiment to find out and re-discovered
the secrets of ancient technology. For further details
see our Experimental
Archaeology section.
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