Down to a depth of about 4 feet the logs were rudely split, but below this they appeared to be round rough trunks, with the bark still adhering to them. Their average diameter would be from 6 inches to 1 foot, and amongst them were some curiously gnarled stems occasionally displaying large knotty protuberances. Of course the wood in the act of digging the trench was cut up into fragments, and, on being uncovered, its tissues had a natural and even fresh-like appearance, but in a few minutes after exposure to the air they became as black as ink. Amongst the débris thrown up from a depth of 6 feet below the log pavement I picked up the larger portion of a broken hammer-stone or polisher, which, from the worn appearance presented by its fractured edges, must have been used subsequently to its breakage. After a long and hard day's work we reached a depth of 7 feet 4 inches, but yet there were no indications of approaching the bottom of this subaqueous fabric. However, towards the close of the second day's labour, when the probability of total discomfiture in reaching the bottom was freely talked of, our most energetic foreman announced, after cutting through a large flat trunk 14 inches thick, that underneath this he could find no trace of further wood-work. The substance removed from below the lowest logs consisted of a few twigs of hazel brushwood, imbedded in a dark, firm, but friable and somewhat peaty soil, which we concluded to be the silt of the lake deposited before the foundations of the crannog were laid. The depth of this solid mass of wood-work, measuring from the surface of the log pavement, was 9 feet 10 inches, or about 16 feet from the surface of the field.
Amongst the very last spadefuls pitched from this depth was found nearly one-half of a well-formed and polished ring made out of shale, the external and internal diameters of which were 31⁄2 and 2 inches respectively.
Gangway.—The probable existence of some kind of communication between the crannog and the shore of the lake was suggested at a very early stage of these investigations by the discovery of a few oak piles in a drain outside the mound, and to clear up this mystery was now the only problem of importance that remained to be solved. We commenced this inquiry by excavating a rectangular space, 30 feet long, 16 feet broad, and 3 to 4 feet deep, in the line of direction indicated by the piles (marked O on the Plan), and exposed quite a forest of oak stakes. Other trenches, marked P and Q respectively, were then made with exactly similar results. The stakes thus revealed did not at first appear to conform to any systematic arrangement, but by and by we detected, in addition to single piles, small groups of three, four, and five, here and there at short intervals. This observation, however, conveyed little or no meaning, so that we could form no opinion as to the manner in which they were used. No trace of mortised beams was anywhere to be seen. In all the trenches the stuff dug up was of the same character. First or uppermost there was a bed of fine clay rather more than 2 feet thick, and then a soft dark substance formed of decomposed vegetable matters. The source of the latter was evident from the occurrence in its upper stratum of large quantities of leaves, some stems, branches, and the roots of stunted trees, apparently in situ. The tops of the piles in the trench q were from 2 to 3 feet below the surface of the field, but they appeared to rise gradually as we receded from the crannog, and in the trench next the shore one or two were found on a level with the grass. About 4 feet deep the stuff at the bottom of the trench was so soft that a man could scarcely stand on it without sinking ankle-deep. It was not nearly so heavy as ordinary soil, but more adhesive, and of a nutty brown colour, which, on exposure, quickly turned dark. Notwithstanding the flabbiness of this material, the piles felt quite firm, and this fact, together with the experience derived from our examination of the deeper structures of the island, led to the supposition that the piles would be found to terminate in some more solid basis than had yet been made apparent. To remove all doubts on this point, though a long iron rod could be easily pushed downwards without meeting any resistance, we ordered a large deep shaft to be dug in the line of the piles, and the cutting q, being nearest the crannog, was selected for this purpose. This was accomplished with much difficulty, but we were amply rewarded by coming upon an elaborate system of wood-work, which I found no less difficult to comprehend than it now is to describe. The first horizontal beam was reached about 7 feet deep, and for other 3 feet we passed through a complete network of similar beams, lying in various directions. Below this, i.e. 10 feet from the surface, the workmen could find no more beams, and the lake silt became harder and more friable. We then cleared a larger area so as to exhibit the structural arrangement of the wood-work. The reason of grouping the piles now became apparent. The groups were placed in a somewhat zigzag fashion near the sides of the gangway, and from each there radiated a series of horizontal beams, the ends of which crossed each other and were kept in position by the uprights. One group was carefully inspected. The first or lowest beam observed was right across, the next lay lengthways and of course at right angles to the former, then three or four spread out diagonally, like a fan, and terminated in other groups at the opposite side of the gangway, and lastly, one again lay lengthways. (See Plan and Sections.) Thus each beam raised the level of the general structure the exact height of its thickness, though large lozenge-shaped spaces remained in the middle quite clear of any beams. The general breadth of the portion of this unique structure examined was about 10 feet (but an isolated pile was noticed farther out), and its thickness varied from 3 to 4 feet. A large oak plank, some 10 feet long, showing the marks of a sharp cutting instrument by which it was formed, was found lying on edge at its west side, and beyond the line of piles, but otherwise no remains of a platform were seen. All the beams and stakes were made of oak, and so thoroughly bound together that, though not a single joint, mortise, or pin was discovered, the whole fabric was as firm as a rock. No relics were found in any of the excavations along the line of this gangway.
Relics.
The remains of human industry found during the excavations of the Lochlee Crannog, calculated to throw light on the civilisation and social economy of its occupiers, are very abundant. They comprise a large variety of objects, such as warlike weapons, industrial implements, and personal ornaments, made of stone, bone, horn, wood, metal, etc. In the following description of them I have adopted, as perhaps the most convenient, the principle of classification suggested by the materials of which they are composed.
I. Objects made of Stone.
Fig. 48.—Hammer-Stone (1⁄2).
