Lake Dwellings.
Before chronicling the final triumph of the cave explorers in 1859, we may briefly note another series of investigations which was being carried on at the same time, and which also shared in the work of throwing light on the shadowy figure of prehistoric man. This was the excavation of crannogs and lake dwellings.
Irish Crannogs.
In 1839 Sir W. R. Wilde explored some of the Irish crannogs, or semi-artificial islands, usually made of layers of stone, logs, sticks (the so-called fascine dwellings), resting on cluans or islets in the Irish lakes. The first crannog explored was that at Lagore, famous in ancient times as Loch Gobhair, near Dunshaughlin, co. Meath, and mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters as having been plundered in the ninth and tenth centuries. It was originally discovered by accident. Some labourers, when clearing out a stream in the neighbourhood, came across very numerous bones, and also a vast collection of objects of all descriptions, warlike and domestic, made of stone, bone, wood, bronze, and iron, and a few human remains.
The next crannog to be disclosed was one in Roughan Lake, near Dungannon; and thereafter more and more came to light, until in 1857 forty-six had been recorded.
The crannog finds, and the depth of the deposits, indicated great age; and Sir William Wilde at once recognised their significance in determining the history of early human occupation in the island. This evidence was strengthened by the discoveries shortly afterwards made in Switzerland.
Swiss Pile-Dwellings.
These were also partly the result of an accident. The winter of 1853-4 happened to be particularly cold and dry, and in consequence tracts of the shores of the Swiss lakes, which were normally covered by water, stood bare and dry. The inhabitants of Ober Meilen, near Zürich, took advantage of this to enclose part of the foreshore, building walls, and filling the reclaimed space with mud. During the necessary excavations various remains came to light, stumps of piles, stone and horn implements, etc. Dr. Ferdinand Keller, President of the Antiquarian Society at Zürich, hearing of these discoveries, hastened to explore the newly-revealed area. Fishermen had long before reported on the existence of a submerged forest, the stumps of which caught their fishing nets and spoilt the fishing on the sloping shores. In 1829, during excavations, some piles were found, but, being attributed to the Romans, no further notice was taken of them. Dr. Keller discovered that the “submerged forest” was in reality of human origin, formed of sharpened and pointed piles, driven into the ground at regular intervals, and he recognised here evidences of prehistoric human occupation, corresponding with that recently proved for Denmark. Pile dwellings were subsequently discovered in the lakes of Biel, Sempach, Neufchatel, Geneva, and Wallenstad, though investigations were only carried out in Biel and Zürich. These yielded animal remains, numerous stone implements, pottery, a skull, parts of several skeletons, and one piece of bronze.
At first the evidence was merely ignored, then it was listened to, but discredited, or various ingenious explanations were made to explain it away.
But gradually the accumulated evidence became too insistent to be ignored, and was supported by too great names to be neglected. The caves of the Mendips, explored by Williams and Beard, of North and South Wales, explored by Stanley, of Yorkshire and of Devonshire, the crannogs of Ireland and the pile dwellings of Switzerland, all told the same tale.