Archaeologists mystified by artificial artificial islands dating back 5,000 years

Hundreds of miniature islands built by humans line the waterways of Scotland and Ireland. Once believed to have been built and converted into a home in 2,500 years, the new radiocarbon dating reported in Antiquity changes this chronology by several thousand years, suggesting that these "crannogs" date back to the Stone Henge era and could be served. like ritual offerings.

It all started in 2012 when a resident of the locality decided to dive around the beds of one of these islets located in the Outer Hebrides. During his stay under the water, he found well preserved and nearly intact ceramic pots scattered around the island. Researchers later discovered similar pottery at five other crannog sites in the area. According to a statement sent to IFLScience, scientists focused on three of the five sites – Loch Arnish, Loch Bhorgastail and Loch Langabhat – combining land and underwater surveys with photogrammetry, paleoenvironmental drilling and excavations. Another radiocarbon dating of the pottery suggests that the site was used between 3600 and 3300 BC.

The researchers believe this place was "special" and challenges the current understanding of Neolithic settlements. Monumental efforts in the construction of these sites by transporting and stacking large blocks of rock suggest that these islets could have been used for ceremonial purposes, as evidenced by the careful underwater placement of uninterrupted ceramic vases by the local population. of the time. Many of the ceramic vessels were still intact or broken into large fragments, suggesting a systematic and ritualized method for launching them.

A crannog is an old lake dwelling spread throughout Scotland and Ireland, which would have been built to house families. The dwellings were often built on rock piles on stilts above the water, while at other times rocks were piled on the lake bed to build an island with a stone house beyond the water. above. According to the Scottish Crannog Center, they now look like tiny, tree-covered islands or stony mounds hidden beneath the surface of the water.

Up to now, more than 570 known sites have been recorded in Scotland and Ireland, but this site in the Outer Hebrides is famous for its tombs and settlements whose relations and purpose of irregular distribution remain unclear. The findings suggest that there could very well be many more types of these settlements and monuments in much of the region. Only about 10% of crannogs in Scotland and Ireland have been radiocarbon dated and only about 20%.