I love archaeology, and the past in general. The people back then were as wacky and weird as we are today, and frankly they did some really cool stuff. So today I am going to introduce you all to crannogs (I will get to the why later).
(From Wikapedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crannog – I do not own this photo).
Above you can see the reconstructed crannog on Loch Tay in Scotland. These were Iron Age buildings, and frankly are freaking awesome!
What is it though?
A crannog is a Scottish Iron Age dwelling that was built out onto a loch on stilts. These were defensible, and strong (against both the elements and human interferance). They would allow easy access to both the shoreline and land, as well as the loch. This would allow for the people to utilise both areas with greater ease.
The website for Loch Tay crannog has a really interesting section about how they built their reconstruction. As they mention on the page, some of it was done with modern tools, and a fair bit was interpreation. However it is the closest match yet to the prehistoric crannog, and reconstruction and experimental archaeology can teach us a lot about the past that we wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.
WEBISTE page for how they built the above crannog: http://www.crannog.co.uk/experimental-archaeology/52-experimental-archaeology/207-building-a-crannog
Anyway, so how and why does this relate to writing.
Lets jump away from archaeology, and look at Darren Shan’s novel Bec (which for the record is a really really good read). In it he talks about crannogs with the characters actually heading to and visiting a crannog in the story.
Ok, so?
So, you can do this to! History is full of so many interesting and cool things. And you are allowed to use them. You are allowed to write about crannogs, and Iron Age tribes, and Romans and all sorts. The more you know, the more ideas you can feed. So, I hope this little aside to crannogs has been interesting and helpful. Next time, we are going to talk about Brochs (another Scottish invention).
(ps the photo is one of mine, a dinosaur from the Natural History Museum. I am not sure what it is though, but it is in the dinosaur exhibit).
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