Rare Iron Age textile to go on display for first time
The piece of fine woven yarn is almost 2,500 years old and dates back to the early to middle part of the Iron Age.
It was previously thought to be too fragile to display, but following conservation work it has gone on permanent display at the Scottish Crannog Centre in Kenmore, Perthshire.
The textile, believed to be the oldest of its kind, was originally discovered in 1979 when an Iron Age dwelling house, known as The Oakbank Crannog, was excavated on Loch Tay.
The material had been pushed into silt on the loch bed which led to its survival, having been preserved naturally over thousands of years.
It has been analysed by archaeologists at the University of Glasgow and radiocarbon dated to 390BC.
It has also undergone a painstaking stabilisation and conservation process which has enabled it to be displayed safely in a climate-controlled cabinet.
Maureen Kerr, an experimental archaeologist and volunteer at the centre, said: "The exciting thing is that there's nowhere else in Scotland that has textile of this size and of this age.
"The fine weave is highly unusual for the time and area and, along with the fact there are remnants of a possible hem, it makes it a very rare and special discovery.
"We believe this is the oldest of its type in Scotland."
It is considered a unique example of a 2/1 twill weave, shedding light on some of the technologies society had in the Iron Age.
Dr Susanna Harris, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Glasgow, analysed the textile on behalf of the centre.
She said: "Wool was such an important material in Scotland, so it's been exciting to examine this piece.
"It's really important finds like this go on display.
"It may be a small piece of textile but it tells us a lot about the heritage of Scottish textiles."
Crannogs were dwelling houses built on stilts over water and usually had a bridge connecting them to the shore.
The first crannogs in Scotland were built on lochs from Neolithic times.
The Scottish Crannog Centre's reconstructed crannog was destroyed by fire in 2021.
It opened on its new and enlarged site near Kenmore last year and the build team is completing a new crannog using sustainable and historical construction methods.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Science and local sleuthing identify a 250-year-old shipwreck on a Scottish island
LONDON — When a student going for a run on the beach found the ribs of a wooden ship poking through the dunes on a Scottish island, it sparked a hunt by archaeologists, scientists and local historians to uncover its story. Through a mix of high-tech science and community research, they have an answer. Researchers announced Wednesday that the vessel is very likely the Earl of Chatham, an 18th-century warship that saw action in the American War of Independence before a second life hunting whales in the Arctic — and then a stormy demise. 'I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to say about a ship that's wrecked,' said Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, a charity that helped community researchers conduct the investigation. 'I think if it had been found in many other places, it wouldn't necessarily have had that community drive, that desire to recover and study that material, and also the community spirit to do it,' Saunders said. The wreck was discovered in February 2024 after a storm swept away sand covering it on Sanday, one of the rugged Orkney Islands that lie off Scotland's northern tip. It excited interest on the island of 500 people, whose history is bound up with the sea and its dangers. Around 270 shipwrecks have been recorded around the 20-square-mile (50-square-kilometer) island since the 15th century. Local farmers used their tractors and trailers to haul the 12 tons of oak timbers off the beach, before local researchers set to work trying to identify it. 'That was really good fun, and it was such a good feeling about the community — everybody pulling together to get it back,' said Sylvia Thorne, one of the island's community researchers. 'Quite a few people are really getting interested in it and becoming experts.' Dendrochronology — the science of dating wood from tree rings — showed the timber came from southern England in the middle of the 18th century. That was one bit of luck, Saunders said, because it coincides with 'the point where British bureaucracy's really starting to kick off' and detailed records were being kept. 'And so we can then start to look at the archive evidence that we have for the wrecks in Orkney,' Saunders said. 'It becomes a process of elimination. 'You remove ones that are Northern European as opposed to British, you remove wrecks that are too small or operating out of the north of England and you really are down to two or three … and Earl of Chatham is the last one left.' Further research found that before it was the Earl of Chatham, the ship was HMS Hind, a 24-gun Royal Navy frigate built in Chichester on England's south coast in 1749. Its military career saw it play a part in the expansion — and contraction — of the British Empire. It helped Britain wrest control of Canada from France during the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec in the 1750s, and in the 1770s served as a convoy escort during Britain's failed effort to hold onto its American colonies. Sold off by the navy in 1784 and renamed, the vessel became a whaling ship, hunting the huge mammals in the Arctic waters off Greenland. Whale oil was an essential fuel of the Industrial Revolution, used to lubricate machinery, soften fabric and light city streets. Saunders said that in 1787 there were 120 London-based whaling ships in the Greenland Sea, the Earl of Chatham among them. A year later, while heading out to the whaling ground, it was wrecked in bad weather off Sanday. All 56 crew members survived — more evidence, Saunders says, that this was a vessel blessed with luck. The ship's timbers are being preserved in a freshwater tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre while plans are discussed to put it on permanent display. Saunders said that the project is a model of community involvement in archaeology. 'The community have been so keen, have been so desirous to be involved and to find out things to learn, and they're so proud of it. It's down to them it was discovered, it's down to them it was recovered and it's been stabilized and been protected,' he said. For locals, it's a link to the island's maritime past — and future. Finding long-buried wrecks could become more common as climate change alters the wind patterns around Britain and reshapes the coastline. 'One of the biggest things I've got out of this project is realizing how much the past in Sanday is just constantly with you — either visible or just under the surface,' said Ruth Peace, another community researcher. Lawless writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Three whales found dead in Orkney stranding
Three bottlenose whales have been found dead on Papa Westray, one of Orkney's northernmost islands. A specialist team from the University of Glasgow has started to carry out post-mortem examinations on the carcasses. Investigations into the cause of death are ongoing. It comes after the biggest mass stranding in Scotland for almost 30 years took place in Orkney last summer. The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), a team at the University of Glasgow, arrived in Orkney after the carcasses were discovered by a local dog walker on Monday morning. Warning: this story contains images and descriptions some readers may find distressing SMASS member Marielle ten Doeschate said: "With any post-mortem we're kind of on the clock, because samples start to degrade, and the more decomposed an animal is the less informative it is for auxiliary tests. "But with deep-diving species we're extra on the ball with that because heat generation means decomposition goes quicker, so we were actually really lucky to get here so quickly." SMASS examined one of the three whales on Tuesday before a high tide put a stop to initial investigations. Despite a noticeable bloating after lying out in the sun, the team found that the whales had all been healthy - though they had not been feeding recently. SMASS will continue its post-mortem examinations at Vestness in Papa Westray on Wednesday to try to determine a cause of death. Bottlenose whales are deep-diving mammals endemic to the North Atlantic. They are usually found at 800ft (244m) below sea level where there are no predators, feeding on squid. SMASS director Dr Andrew Brownlow, a veterinary pathologist, told BBC Scotland News: "We're getting many more species that we'd normally see further south in warmer waters that seem to be coming up here more frequently in bigger numbers." He said the reason for the shift from their natural habitat remain unconfirmed, but that it ultimately seemed to be as a result of climate change. 'We can learn so much' However, for Dr Brownlow and his team, the discovery of the whales was not entirely negative. He added: "As sad as it is that they strand like this, we can learn so much about them, we can learn about the individual but also learn about the species - a species of which we know very little." The carcasses were discovered by local firefighter Daniel Elves, who was walking his dogs when the animals "loomed out of the mist". The islanders had just celebrated their annual Papay Fun Weekend, which sees a large increase in its normal population of approximately 70 people for an annual get-together. "I actually sat down and shed a tear at the colour of the water," Mr Elves said. "You couldn't have made it any redder." SMASS attended a similar scene last year when an entire pod of whales was found washed ashore on Tresness Beach, on the island of Sanday, in the largest mass stranding since 1995. "July is a particularly bad month for strandings," said Dr Brownlow. "In 2023, there was a stranding of 55 pilot whales on the Isle of Lewis. "Almost exactly a year later, 77 of them came in to Sanday." Whole pod of 77 whales die in 'biggest mass stranding in decades' Whales were healthy before Orkney stranding - expert Experts probe one of UK's worst whale strandings
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
New study reveals key to unlocking the mystery surrounding Stonehenge
A new study has revealed evidence found at a prehistoric structure could be part of the key to unlocking the centuries-old mystery surrounding Stonehenge. Aberystwyth University researchers determined that Neolithic communities were responsible for moving the 'Newall boulder' on Wiltshire's Salisbury Plain, according to the study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. The football-sized boulder was discovered during an early excavation at Stonehenge in 1924 by Col. William Hawley, according to a study published in June. Advertisement 5 Figure A depicts the primary remaining portion of the Newall boulder, while Figure B illustrates the segment that was removed for scientific analysis. R.E. Bevins/Journal of Archeoligical Sciences The discovery resolves a long-standing scientific dispute about whether glacial movement or human transportation 5,000 years ago contributed to the presence of the stones at the prehistoric monument. 'There is no evidence to support an interpretation that it is a glacial erratic,' the study found. Advertisement Professor Richard Bevins and his team compared the Newall boulder with stones at Craig Rhos-y-Felin, a rocky outcrop on the north side of the Preseli Mountains in Wales, more than 125 miles away. Their research also revealed that chemical analysis showed identical amounts of thorium and zirconium in the geology at Craig Rhos-y-Felin was found at Newall boulder and other fragments found at Stonehenge. Researchers mentioned that the Newall boulder is a foliated rhyolite and its surface layer is rich in calcium carbonate — further supporting the idea that humans moved it to its final resting place since glaciers would have scattered similar pieces across the Stonehenge region. 5 The football-sized boulder was discovered during an early excavation at Stonehenge in 1924 by Col. William Hawley. R.E. Bevins/Journal of Archeoligical Sciences Advertisement The study also unearthed a fascinating secret hidden within another of Stonehenge's buried stones — Stone 32d. It was previously believed that Stone 32d was a rock called spotted dolerite. However, it's actually a foliated rhyolite, just like the Newall boulder. 'Part of the fascination of Stonehenge is that many of its megaliths, in contrast to the large, relatively local sarsens, can be proven to have been sourced from Wales, over 200km to the west,' the study revealed. The study states that 'most archaeologists accept that Neolithic people achieved this remarkable feat, transporting blocks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes,' but a 'contrary view' remains that 'no human effort was involved.' Advertisement 5 Aberystwyth University researchers determined that Neolithic communities were responsible for moving the 'Newall boulder' on Wiltshire's Salisbury Plain. R.E. Bevins/Journal of Archeoligical Sciences 'There is, however, a contrary view, which proposes that no human effort was involved: rather, it is argued, the Welsh stones were transported by glacial ice long before Stonehenge was built,' researchers wrote. One of the more prominent advocates for the glacier theory is Dr. Brian John, a geologist whose previous study found that the Newall boulder exhibits glacial abrasion marks. 'The boulder was reduced in size and heavily modified during glacial transport, for much of the time on the bed of a glacier,' John wrote. 'It was eventually dumped at some location on, or relatively close to, Salisbury Plain.' 5 A deserted, closed Stonehenge on March 20, 2020, in Amesbury, United Kingdom. Getty Images However, Bevins and his team said his finding has 'no basis in evidence.' 'To present it is as fact, rather than as hypothesis, is disingenuous,' the study stated. Advertisement Bevins' team argued that similar fragments would be found elsewhere on Salisbury Plain if glaciers transported the stones, but they are concentrated only at Stonehenge — strengthening the case for human movement. 5 General view of the Stonehenge stone circle, near Amesbury, Britain. via REUTERS 'The presence of Stonehenge itself is the evidence of movement by Neolithic peoples of stones weighing up to as much as 40 tonnes,' researchers wrote. 'Unless it is argued that all the stones were just lying on the ground ready to be erected where they were to make Stonehenge, the stones must have been moved into position.' The researchers firmly stated that 'if Neolithic people could move a stone a few tens of metres they could move it tens or hundreds of kilometres.' Advertisement 'It may not have been easy, but it was entirely possible and moving 2–3 tonne bluestones would involve an order of magnitude less effort than moving the sarsens,' they noted. Although the study confirms Neolithic communities moved the stones, the precise techniques they used remain unknown. They did note that 'recent indigenous peoples have been transporting stones weighing many tonnes great distances with ropes, wooden sledges and trackways – technologies which would have been available in the Neolithic.'
