Islands of Stone: Neolithic Crannogs in the Outer Hebrides

This project focuses on Neolithic 'crannogs' - artificially-constructed islands - in the Outer Hebrides. Until recently, crannogs in Scotland were thought to have been constructed from the Early Iron Age (c. 800 BC) onwards. Discoveries made since 2012 have demonstrated conclusively that multiple sites in the Outer Hebrides are in fact 2500 years earlier, with artificial islets a potentially widespread feature of the Neolithic there. Our work has now identified six sites associated with large collections of Neolithic pottery (with four of these radiocarbon dated to c. 3640-3360 cal BC). In some cases, these assemblages have included near-complete vessels deposited directly into the lochs, possibly as a result of 'ritual' deposition and/or feasting; the inertia of the loch bed sediments has ensured amazingly well-preserved ceramics, with levels of completeness unprecedented in Neolithic Britain. These 'islands of stone' were created simply by piling up large rocks on the loch bed - impressive constructions 25m in diameter and 4m high. On the sites investigated in Lewis so far, no buildings have been identified. However, in one case - this project's showcase site at Loch Bhorgastail - waterlogged worked timbers suggest complex wooden architecture, and impressive levels of organic preservation for a site of this date in Britain. It is possible that some of these crannogs may have been settlement-related, but others are too small to have housed buildings. Their monumental, cairn-like forms echo the contemporary funerary monuments known across the region. Given the deposition of artefacts into the loch around them, it is possible that they may have been special purpose 'ritual' locations. These are enigmatic sites whose function is, at present, hard to understand. They require significant further investigation. Neolithic crannogs essentially represent a new site type for the period. However, almost all of those identified so far are located within central Lewis - the only area that has been searched intensively. Eilean Domhnuill, N. Uist remains the only definite site known elsewhere. Its presence there suggests, tantalisingly, that many more Neolithic crannogs may lie undiscovered across the Outer Hebrides. This project seeks to address this situation by identifying and then ground-truthing other sites with potential across the islands. We also plan to carry out two seasons of excavation in order to characterise one highly promising site (Bhorgastail). Using cutting-edge scientific analyses, we will investigate what happened at the site and how it related to activity in the wider landscape, leading to properly informed, new interpretations. These new sites have the potential to transform existing narratives of the British and wider European Neolithic. In order to communicate our results to the academic community, we will produce an open access monograph and additional papers focused on key issues. We will also organise an international conference in order to gather together researchers working on lake settlements across the world. Beyond academia, the project will have impact in a variety of spheres: enhancing tourism in the region through development of an augmented reality heritage app and pop-up exhibitions; improving knowledge of the archaeological resource for heritage management professionals; collaborating with and empowering local archaeology groups; and disseminating knowledge through open days, public talks, school visits and teaching information packs. Ultimately, the Islands of Stone project will establish a clear interpretation of these new sites, transforming our understandings of the Neolithic and of the enigmatic, multi-period site type of 'crannog' in general. Site categories are rarely pushed back 2500 years in date. New kinds of Neolithic site are almost never found. Waterlogged deposits of this date are extremely rare. The promise that these new sites hold is enormous.