Ancient Scottish Lake-Dwellings or Crannogs / With a supplementary chapter on remains of lake-dwellings in England

by Robert Munro

"(6.) Pteris aquilina, L.

"(7.) Several masses containing roots and root leaves of a monocotyledonous plant with equitant leaves, heather stems, and rhizomes of fern.

"(8.) Portions of birch bark in stripes rolled together like a ball of thread.

"(9.) Hazel nuts. One gnawed by a squirrel? If, as I conjecture, it has been done by a squirrel, it is interesting, as affording evidence of their occurrence in this locality.

"I am sorry I am unable to be more definite in many cases. The masses made up of monocotyledonous plants would not repay a more extended examination."

General Remarks.

To extract from the above investigations, however suggestive the results may appear, a life history, as it were, of the crannog, or indeed much reliable information regarding the habits of the Celtic races who flourished in the neighbourhood during the period of its existence, would be presumptuous on my part, if not beyond the scope of legitimate inference, especially in face of the meagre results hitherto obtained from Scottish crannogs. The completeness with which the operations have been executed, together with the great variety of relics found, cannot fail to make the Lochlee crannog a standard of comparison for future discoveries of a similar character, at least for some time to come, and hence it was essential to have the present report free from all speculative opinions. I have therefore up to this point entirely confined myself to matters of fact which have come under my own direct cognisance; and as for the relics, I have simply endeavoured to describe them accurately, leaving it to experienced archæologists to determine their historical value. There are however a few points, bearing on the antiquity and duration of the crannog, which, though undoubtedly included in the category of the speculative, I wish to state, as they could only be made by one conversant with all the phases of the excavations; but which, after this caution, must be taken cum grano salis.

1. Position of Relics.—As many of the relics, if judged independently of the rest and their surroundings, would be taken as good representatives of the three so-called ages of Stone, Bronze, and Iron, it is but natural for the reader to inquire if superposition has defined them by a corresponding relationship. On this point I offer no dubious opinion. The polished stone celt, Fig. [55], and the knife, Fig. [129], were found almost in juxtaposition about the level of the lowest fireplace. Though the hammer-stones, as a rule, were more abundant in the lower strata, yet the very first thing indicating human art which was found, when we commenced to dig towards the centre of the mound, was a hammer-stone. Almost all the horn implements were found at or below the level of the first-discovered pavement, and three-fourths of the querns were found above it. Below the same level, and around the hearths, tusks of boars were numerous, whereas almost none were found above it; and in the midden pigs' jaws and teeth were found only at its lowest stratum. Various inferences might be drawn from these remarks, which my readers can do for themselves.

2. Character of the Wood-work.—From the discovery, in the deep section made below the log pavement, of beams with tenons and mortised holes, and large trunks having their branches lopped off as if with a hatchet, it would appear that the first constructors of the crannog were well acquainted with the use of metal tools. It may also be noted that the base of the wood-work of the island was at least 14 feet (after making allowance for the extra height of the mound) below the surface of the field, whereas that of the gangway, within a few feet of the crannog, was only 10 feet. This difference of 4 feet could hardly be accounted for by the inequality of the bed of the lake, as the field appeared here to be quite level, so that we must infer either that it was due to the absolute weight of the island on the portion of the bed of the lake directly below it, or that the gangway was of more recent construction than the island. After all these doubtful elements are eliminated, there remains the important fact that since the island was constructed, 10 feet of silt, at least, had accumulated around it.