There was a Team Time episode on last night - a British TV archaeology group - covering Scottish Crannogs.
Essentially, they were small fortified communal houses, set upon timbers away from the bank of loch.
I had never actually heard of them before - but figured they must be inspirational to someone somewhere world-building for fantasy.
Here's some information from: http://www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/snapshot_crannogs.html
(copied, because they'll probably erase it soon)
Crannogs
What is a crannog?
Crannogs are small, man-made islands that are found throughout Scotland in lochs and other inland waters. Similar structures are also known in other parts of the British Isles, particularly Ireland, although they are not called crannogs there. One of the earliest investigations carried out by Time Team, shown as part of the first series in 1994, concerned a crannog at Llangorse, Powys, in Wales. In England, the lake villages' of Glastonbury and Meare (for example) also have many features in common with the crannogs of Scotland and Wales.
Crannogs were places of habitation and refuge usually fortified, raised enclosures constructed of layers of rocks shored up with stakes driven into the loch bed. Many were connected to the land by causeways, which were sometimes concealed by lying just beneath the surface of the water, so that they weren't immediately evident to would-be intruders.
Some crannogs were large enough to house whole communities; and some were important royal or monastic centres. The one investigated by Time Team at Loch Migdale in the 2004 series was at the smaller end of the range, probably only big enough for one roundhouse, one family and a few animals.
How old are crannogs?
The oldest-known crannogs were probably built as long as 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic era, with many different phases of construction or reconstruction taking place since then. Literary sources tell us that some Scottish crannogs were still in use well into the 1600s, and a number of Scottish castles that survive today were probably constructed on top of pre-existing crannogs.
Some crannogs were used as fishing or hunting bases during medieval times, while others became fortified strongholds of the Scottish clans. The former crannog of Priory Island, on Loch Tay, for example, eventually became a stronghold for the Campbells of Glenorchy, having previously been used by both Scottish royalty and monks. The ruins of the fort the Campbells built on the site in the 16th century can still be seen there today.
At Llangorse, one phase of the construction of the site was dated to about 870 AD. The site may have been built by a king of Brycheiniog, and is reminiscent of similar royal sites in Ireland. The crannog came to a fiery end in 916. A Mercian abbot, Ecgberht, had been assassinated and Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, blamed Tewdwr ap Elised, the king of Brycheiniog. Her army destroyed the island and captured his queen.
Although many have been reused since, a large proportion of crannogs are thought to date from the Iron Age. While some may have been important strongholds for powerful local families or royalty, many were relatively small. The amount of work that would have been involved in their construction suggests that they were built in troubled times, when even relatively small settlements of people felt the need for a secure base to which they could retreat at times of danger.
How were crannogs built?
There are two basic types of crannog. One consists of structures raised above the water (or, in some cases, marshy land) on stilts. These were the earlier type of crannog and were relatively common structures in wetland or waterside Bronze- and Iron-Age communities throughout Europe. The later type, such as that at Loch Migdale, involved creating an actual island, which then formed the base on which any buildings were erected.
Wherever possible, the crannog builders would take advantage of outcrops of raised bedrock or existing small islands. Sometimes, though, they would have no option but to start their island-building underwater. Either way, the construction process was broadly similar. Large quantities of rock and rubble would be piled up to raise the ground level, with wooden piles being driven into the loch bed to keep the material in place. At Llangorse, it was estimated that 1,000 tons of rock, layered with bundles of branches to hold it together, were piled up to create the crannog. This was topped with a timber palisade surrounding the structures that were built on top of the newly created artificial island.
Shape, size and building materials
Crannogs come in various shapes and sizes, but the great majority are circular or oval, probably for relative ease of construction. Research in Scotland, where several hundred crannogs have been found since they were first identified as man-made features in the 19th-century, shows that most are between 15 and 30 metres in diameter, although there are significant exceptions.
According to Mark W Holley (see Further reading), who has researched many Scottish crannog sites, the materials used in building them vary throughout Scotland. Crannogs found in the Hebrides, for example, seem to have been built mainly of stone, while those on the mainland were built in large part with wood. 'Most of this variation can be ascribed to differences in local environments,' says Holley. 'In general, people used materials that were easy to come by or immediately at hand.'
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third-party sites.
The Scottish Crannog Centre
www.crannog.co.uk/
Kenmore
Loch Tay
Aberfeldy
Perthshire PH15 2HY
Scotland
Tel: 01887 830583
E-mail: info@crannog.co.uk
The Scottish Crannog Centre is open to visitors from 15 March to 30 November 2004. It features a recreated crannog and causeway open to visitors and is the location for various special events. The website includes background information on crannogs, the crannog reconstruction and underwater archaeology.
Anyway, here are some research links, and then a photo of one reconstructed:
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146411352&mode=thread&order=0
http://www.mcmahonsofmonaghan.org/crannogs.html
http://www.arcl.ed.ac.uk/arch/holley/
Essentially, they were small fortified communal houses, set upon timbers away from the bank of loch.
I had never actually heard of them before - but figured they must be inspirational to someone somewhere world-building for fantasy.
Here's some information from: http://www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/snapshot_crannogs.html
(copied, because they'll probably erase it soon)
Crannogs
What is a crannog?
Crannogs are small, man-made islands that are found throughout Scotland in lochs and other inland waters. Similar structures are also known in other parts of the British Isles, particularly Ireland, although they are not called crannogs there. One of the earliest investigations carried out by Time Team, shown as part of the first series in 1994, concerned a crannog at Llangorse, Powys, in Wales. In England, the lake villages' of Glastonbury and Meare (for example) also have many features in common with the crannogs of Scotland and Wales.
Crannogs were places of habitation and refuge usually fortified, raised enclosures constructed of layers of rocks shored up with stakes driven into the loch bed. Many were connected to the land by causeways, which were sometimes concealed by lying just beneath the surface of the water, so that they weren't immediately evident to would-be intruders.
Some crannogs were large enough to house whole communities; and some were important royal or monastic centres. The one investigated by Time Team at Loch Migdale in the 2004 series was at the smaller end of the range, probably only big enough for one roundhouse, one family and a few animals.
How old are crannogs?
The oldest-known crannogs were probably built as long as 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic era, with many different phases of construction or reconstruction taking place since then. Literary sources tell us that some Scottish crannogs were still in use well into the 1600s, and a number of Scottish castles that survive today were probably constructed on top of pre-existing crannogs.
Some crannogs were used as fishing or hunting bases during medieval times, while others became fortified strongholds of the Scottish clans. The former crannog of Priory Island, on Loch Tay, for example, eventually became a stronghold for the Campbells of Glenorchy, having previously been used by both Scottish royalty and monks. The ruins of the fort the Campbells built on the site in the 16th century can still be seen there today.
At Llangorse, one phase of the construction of the site was dated to about 870 AD. The site may have been built by a king of Brycheiniog, and is reminiscent of similar royal sites in Ireland. The crannog came to a fiery end in 916. A Mercian abbot, Ecgberht, had been assassinated and Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, blamed Tewdwr ap Elised, the king of Brycheiniog. Her army destroyed the island and captured his queen.
Although many have been reused since, a large proportion of crannogs are thought to date from the Iron Age. While some may have been important strongholds for powerful local families or royalty, many were relatively small. The amount of work that would have been involved in their construction suggests that they were built in troubled times, when even relatively small settlements of people felt the need for a secure base to which they could retreat at times of danger.
How were crannogs built?
There are two basic types of crannog. One consists of structures raised above the water (or, in some cases, marshy land) on stilts. These were the earlier type of crannog and were relatively common structures in wetland or waterside Bronze- and Iron-Age communities throughout Europe. The later type, such as that at Loch Migdale, involved creating an actual island, which then formed the base on which any buildings were erected.
Wherever possible, the crannog builders would take advantage of outcrops of raised bedrock or existing small islands. Sometimes, though, they would have no option but to start their island-building underwater. Either way, the construction process was broadly similar. Large quantities of rock and rubble would be piled up to raise the ground level, with wooden piles being driven into the loch bed to keep the material in place. At Llangorse, it was estimated that 1,000 tons of rock, layered with bundles of branches to hold it together, were piled up to create the crannog. This was topped with a timber palisade surrounding the structures that were built on top of the newly created artificial island.
Shape, size and building materials
Crannogs come in various shapes and sizes, but the great majority are circular or oval, probably for relative ease of construction. Research in Scotland, where several hundred crannogs have been found since they were first identified as man-made features in the 19th-century, shows that most are between 15 and 30 metres in diameter, although there are significant exceptions.
According to Mark W Holley (see Further reading), who has researched many Scottish crannog sites, the materials used in building them vary throughout Scotland. Crannogs found in the Hebrides, for example, seem to have been built mainly of stone, while those on the mainland were built in large part with wood. 'Most of this variation can be ascribed to differences in local environments,' says Holley. 'In general, people used materials that were easy to come by or immediately at hand.'
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third-party sites.
The Scottish Crannog Centre
www.crannog.co.uk/
Kenmore
Loch Tay
Aberfeldy
Perthshire PH15 2HY
Scotland
Tel: 01887 830583
E-mail: info@crannog.co.uk
The Scottish Crannog Centre is open to visitors from 15 March to 30 November 2004. It features a recreated crannog and causeway open to visitors and is the location for various special events. The website includes background information on crannogs, the crannog reconstruction and underwater archaeology.
Anyway, here are some research links, and then a photo of one reconstructed:
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146411352&mode=thread&order=0
http://www.mcmahonsofmonaghan.org/crannogs.html
http://www.arcl.ed.ac.uk/arch/holley/