The Lake-Dwellings of Europe: Being the Rhind Lectures in Archæology for 1888Munro, Robert
History
The Lake-Dwellings of Europe: Being the Rhind Lectures in Archæology for 1888
Munro, Robert
Lake-dwellers and lake-dwellings -- Bibliography; Lake-dwellers and lake-dwellings -- Europe
[Illustration: =Fig. 125.=--LOUGH MOURNE. No. 1 = ¼, and 2 = ½
real size.]
Among the relics recorded from this lake-dwelling are "two small stone
crucibles" (B. 320), an iron hatchet, part of a canoe, a hammer-stone,
a rubbing-stone, two small urns (?), part of a large crucible, charred
bones, teeth, shells of hazel-nuts. (B. 439, p. 324.) Flint flakes,
scrapers, and arrow-points have been found in the vicinity along the
shore, but on the crannog itself only a quantity of fine chips was
discovered. Some of these relics I saw in the possession of a young
man of the name of Macdonald, who lived in the neighbourhood and took
an active part in searching for relics. The iron hatchet turned out to
be of exceptional interest. It is a socketed celt, with a loop at one
side for fixing the handle, part of which was still remaining in the
socket. (=Fig. 125=, No. 1.) Bronze celts of this description are, of
course, very common, but specimens made of iron are extremely rare,
especially in the British Isles, and only exceptionally to be seen in
the museums of Europe. This is the only one hitherto recorded from
a British lake-dwelling, and, moreover, it is, as regards size and
form, quite unique. It measures 6¾ inches long and 3¼ inches broad
immediately above the cutting edge. The longest diameter of the socket
is 2½ inches, and this breadth is continued for about two-thirds of
its length, except where the loophole causes it to bulge outwards.
One of the crucibles, which I believe is now presented to the Belfast
Museum, is rather peculiar in having a short projecting handle (No. 2).
It would thus appear that the inhabitants of this lake-dwelling
practised the art of metallurgy, which would entail at least one
fire-proof furnace, and thus partly account for the existence of so
many hearths on such a small area.
The second dwelling was about 150 yards from the shore, in deep water,
and lying over a great depth of quaking mud. It was a small example of
the ordinary stockaded island, but owing to the softness of the mud
and oozing of water no satisfactory investigation could be undertaken.
Mr. Robinson calculates the extent of its submergence at 15 feet. Its
entire surface was occupied by a heap of stones which gave it the
appearance of a hillside cairn. Digging underneath these stones we
came upon a thick bed of heather and brackens interspersed with beams
and brushwood. Near the margin were to be seen a few piles and beams
rudely mortised, from which one or two long beams radiated towards the
centre like the spokes of a wheel.
In the first described lake-dwelling no submergence could have taken
place, as the lake bottom was composed of compact sand in which the
piles had a firm hold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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