Crannóg of Loch Tay

Gaelic (Celtic) Cultures of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, built a form of habitat called "Crannóg", beginning in 3650 to 2500 BCE through the 17th/early 18th century. They were made of timber, and sometimes stone, and were constructed on man-made islets in lake shallows. They were strongholds surrounded by single or double stockades of vertical timbers, and connected to the lake shore by a wooden pile causeway. Unlike the prehistoric stilt houses of the Swiss Alps (see pp ), which were built on lake shores and later inundated, crannogs were built directly in lakes forming circular islets, often 10 to 30 metres (30 to 100 feet) in diameter, covered in dense vegetation due to their inaccessibility to grazing livestock. Apart from their defensive function, crannogs are said to be warmer in winter and cooler in summer, due to the tempering effect of the lake water, and free from mosquitos in summer. This CG model is based upon the data from the crannog at Loch Tay, in the central highlands of Scotland, originating prior to 2000 BCE; it is located in the Scottish Crannog Centre.

Elevation is c. 102 meters (335 feet) above sea level.

Materials: Thatch roof, wicker wall panels between wooden piles,
wood flooring, causeway and platform of wooden piles, all setting upon artificial islands of stone rubble, and brush.

Data for CG model:
1. The Scottish Crannog Centre
https://www.crannog.co.uk
2. Time Team, 2020; Archaeologists find Prehistoric Man-Made island in Scotland;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPRaimw-S3k
3. Grid Club Videos, 2018; What is a crannog?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWx3m3w4S0c
4.Lenfert, Robert, 2011; The Island Dwellings of North Uist, Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, UK.
https://sites.google.com/site/hebrideanarchofislands/
5. Cavers, Graeme, 2010; Crannogs and Later Prehistoric Settlement in Western Scotland, BAR British Series 510, 2010
https://www.academia.edu/28642797/Crannogs_and_Later_Prehistoric_Settlement_in_Western_Scotland