Robert Lenfert
Research Student, Faculty of Arts
Contact
- workArchaeology and Classics Building
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD
UK - work0115 951 4820
- fax0115 951 4812
- acxrl@nottingham.ac.uk
Research Summary
Title: 'Crannogs in Regards to Later-Prehistoric Atlantic Settlement, 1000BC to 500AD'
Artificial lake-dwellings, or crannogs, exist in considerable numbers throughout Scotland and Ireland (some 350 & 1200 respectively) with one lone Welsh example. With a broad yet highly intermittent occupation span ranging from the Neolithic to the late Medieval/Early Modern period, artificial lake-dwellings can play a pivotal role in our understanding about changes in society over a vast period of time, yet also testify to a continuance of tradition for the occupiers.
Several of the new research agendas involved with crannogs include on-site monitoring to asses environmental impact and the investigation of taphonomic processes to unravel arguably some of the most complex stratigraphical sequences in archaeology.
Other recent areas of interest include the gathering of chronological data in the form of C14 and especially dendrochronological information to clarify sequences of construction, use, disuse and often subsequent re-occupation in the hopes of incorporating crannogs into the overall terrestrial settlement pattern, something archaeologists have been reluctant to do because of the tremendous chronological currency and inherent difficulties in understanding occupational sequences on these cold, often submerged, sites.
It is my interest to research crannogs in relation to coastal settlement, especially along the North Channel of the Irish Sea (Wales, Cumbria, South-West Scotland, Isle of Mann and Ireland) in order to gain a better understanding of function of these enigmatic sites and an apparent 'veneration for watery places,' a long lasting tradition in these areas. This will take place by using a number of resources, including GIS-based applications, chronological and environmental data, as well as analysis of the existing material culture in addition to ongoing fieldwork in Dumfries and Galloway as part of the South West Crannog Survey (SWCS).