Archaeologists are set to begin an underwater excavation of a rare medieval crannog in Loch Achilty later this year. The excavation will be funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the country's oldest antiquarian society, which is 245 years old.
Crannogs are dwellings found on artificial islands over water, often composed of brush, stone, or timber mounds. They are thought to have been first built around 4000 BCE in the Neolithic period, about 6,000 years ago, and continued to be constructed into the 17th century.
Experts believe crannogs could have been used as dwellings for community leaders and symbols of power, as well as ordinary farmsteads of extended family groups set out on water for protection. There is also little knowledge of why Highland crannogs were used, and the excavation hopes to shed light on this aspect of Scotland's past.
"Crannogs contain some of the best-preserved evidence for life in the past in Scotland and are a critically important part of our settlement history, which is one of the reasons why we were so excited about this application," said Dr. Helen Spencer, head of research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, according to BBC News.
Loch Achilty lies about 20 miles northwest of Inverness and is a small loch in an area of birch and oak woods. Experts will delve into ancient timbers as they strive to unravel the mysteries of the former dwelling. The excavation at Loch Achilty represents an opportunity to enhance understanding of medieval life in the Highlands and the ways in which people interacted with their environment.
Volunteers from the North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS) and the Nautical Archaeology Society will participate in the project, which begins in September. The team aims to learn about the construction methods of the crannog and discover more about its occupants, as there is minimal knowledge of how Highland crannogs were constructed throughout history.
Previous sampling and testing of underwater timbers recovered from Loch Achilty by NOSAS revealed that part of the crannog was built using an oak timber dated to between 1046 and 1221. Another oak timber recovered from the loch was dated to between 1323 and 1421. These dates suggest the crannog was constructed or modified in the medieval period.
"At the moment, we have dates spanning almost 400 years for a structure on the island," said Richard Guest, project lead and amateur archaeologist with NOSAS, according to The Herald. "Hopefully the excavation of more timbers will lead to more dates and therefore a sequence for how the crannog was used—more specific dates of sequences could help to provide the story of who built the crannog and who used it."
Very few medieval crannogs have been recorded or studied, making known examples from this period rare. It is currently unknown whether the crannog was used for centuries or just a short time, and when it was finally abandoned.
The team will also look for organic material such as charcoal to be sampled for paleoenvironmental analysis, which could reveal more about the environment around Loch Achilty centuries ago. "Due to the incredible preservation of this type of material, crannogs store exceptional evidence for what the wider environment and climate was like," said Dr. Michael Stratigos, according to The National. "As we face the challenges of anthropogenic climate change—the climate change originating in human activity—the information stored on crannogs represents a unique opportunity to offer a long-term perspective on our present situation and how people at different times have coped with climate change in the past," he noted.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
