Oak Bank Crannog 

In the epic historical fiction novel, Daughter of the Gods, Flora lived in Oak Bank Crannog, off the shore of Loch Tay at Fearnan in the Highlands of Scotland.  Crannogs were lake houses built on massive stilts out in the water.  They date to the early Iron Age, approximately 2500 years ago.  Oak Bank Crannog was one of approximately 18 crannogs built on Loch Tay.  The crannogs were refurbished and reused into the fourth century.

Oak Bank Crannog is constructed of 120 log piles, which were sharpened to points with iron axes and screwed into the mud bottom of the loch.  The supports were made primarily of alder timbers, with some oak and elm.  They were ten meters in length and were sunk three meters into the lock bottom.  There are over two tons of wood in the roof structure alone, along with four tons of thatch.  The floors were constructed as a wood platform covered with bracken and wool.  There is no hole in the thatch roof to allow smoke to escape.  Instead, smoke would filter through the thatch of the steeply sloped roof and keep it free of bugs.  Both the exterior walls and interior partitions were formed from hazel rotes woven through upright poles and stuffed with wool and bracken.

Crannogs will drift with the current over time.  The support posts have to be reinforced or reseated every twenty years or so.  These structures were clearly difficult to construct and to maintain.  So why did the ancient people of Caledonia go to such great efforts to build these massive edifices?

Historians and archaeologists are unsure exactly what the cannons were used for, but have come up with several possibilities.  They could have been prestigious buildings used to house the extended families of village chieftains.  They might also have been trading posts that would facilitate the exchange of goods for transport by boats.  Some were used to shelter livestock, perhaps to keep young animals safe from predators.  Finally, they could have been used as ceremonial meeting places, as was the case in Daughter of the Gods.

Oak Bank Crannog was excavated by the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology (STUA) beginning in 1979.  The excavation prompted a precise reconstruction across Loch Tay near to the village of Kenmore (which is the location of Incheskadyne, the village of the great chief, in the novel).  You can visit this reconstructed crannog at the Scottish Crannog Center (see the link below), where interpreters conduct tours and living history displays.

Here are a few sources if you would like to read more about Oak Bank Crannog or to plan a visit to the reconstructed structure:

The Scottish Crannog Center. Click Here.

“Crannog.” Wikipedia. Click Here.

 “Oakbank Crannog – Crannog in Scotland in Perth and Kinross.” The Megalithic Portal. Click Here.