The Lake Dwellings of Ireland: Or ancient lacustrine habitations of Erin, commonly called crannogs.Wood-Martin, W. G. (William Gregory)
History
The Lake Dwellings of Ireland: Or ancient lacustrine habitations of Erin, commonly called crannogs.
Wood-Martin, W. G. (William Gregory)
Lake-dwellers and lake-dwellings -- Ireland
The term “Lestar” comprises vessels of various shapes, and of all kinds
of material, although it is more generally applied to those made of
wood--several have been found in crannogs. In a bog, occupying what
in distant ages appears to have been the site of a small lake, on
the lands of Cavancarragh, county Fermanagh, implements of flint, a
fine bronze spear-head, and a beautifully-shaped wooden vessel, were
discovered, all buried under peat. Now, according to the theory of
some geologists, a peat formation of such depth as covered them would,
according to circumstances, take from six hundred to one thousand
years to accumulate, so that the articles found might be referred back
to any period from the thirteenth to the ninth century; and at about
this latter period, it is remarked, with regard to the ornamentation
observable on the wooden vessel, that a similar style prevailed in
the MSS. and on stone work of that era, still extant. The vessel was
made of oak, the bottom alone being alder: when first exhumed it was
entire, and had a cover; the original form seems to have been one of
unusual beauty, and the height about fifteen inches. The lid, now
unfortunately lost, is described as slightly convex, with a knob-like
handle in the centre, the ornamental work on it similar to that of
the vessel itself. On the dark shading round the rim, and between
the interlacing ornamentation, both of vessel and lid, traces were
apparent of some kind of pigment, or enamel, with which the surface of
the wood had been overlaid. In the crannog of Ballydoolough, county
Fermanagh, a vessel of wood was discovered in an entire state, but
from long saturation reduced almost to a state of pulp. The engraving
(about one-fifth the real size), gives a good idea of it. In process of
drying, the vessel soon lost all shape, and became strangely twisted
and distorted. On comparing this woodcut with a vase found in a small
stone chamber at Knocknecoura, near Bagnalstown, county Carlow, and now
in the Museum, R.I.A., a striking resemblance in form is observable;
the latter vessel is, however, more ornamental. To find in a grave an
urn of almost exactly the same shape as a vessel undoubtedly used to
hold food, suggests the idea that the so-called sepulchral urns in
cairns and graves need not be viewed as necessarily intended to hold
human ashes, or the cremated bones of sacrifices. Might not the object
of their position have been to supply the warrior with food on his way
to the Happy Hunting Grounds of Tirnanog? A willow platter, 15 inches
by 14 (fig. 104), was found in the crannog of Ballinderry. It did not
split much in drying, and is in a very good state of preservation: one
handle, however is defective, the other is 2¾ inches in length by 4
in breadth. The dimensions of fig. 105 are as follows: extreme length
from handle to handle, 31⅛ inches; length inside, 25¾ inches; extreme
breadth across the rim, 21⅛ inches. It is not so well preserved as its
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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