Underwater dig to trace ancient Scottish loch dwellers in the Highlands

Archaeologists are heading underwaterto find traces of life lived on the water 1000 years ago - and more.

An underwater excavation in a Highland loch will search for traces of ancient crannog dwellers who lived at least part of their lives on the water.

The dig will examine the remains of a rare medieval crannog, or timber dwelling, which was built on an artificial island in Loch Achilty near Contin in Easter Ross.

Crannogs may have served many purposes, from the bases of community leaders and symbols of power to the homes of ordinary farmsteads of extended family groups who chose to live out on the water for protection.

There are at least 500 known crannogs across Scotland.

The underwater excavation of a rare medieval crannog in the Highlands will take place in September 2025 thanks to funding from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. PIC: Duncan Ross. | Duncan Ross

The crannog at Loch Achilty has sparked fresh interest among archaeologists given two oak timbers found deep in the water were dated to AD 1046 – 1221 and AD 1323 – 1421, respectively.

While crannogs are known to have been built from the Neolithic period as far back as 4,000BC to the 17th Century, the dates place activity at the Loch Achilty to the medieval period, making it a rare example from the time.

Now, a fresh excavation is set to get underway in the water by volunteers from the North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS) and the Nautical Archaeology Society.

Supported by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and coordinated by volunteers from the North of Scotland Archaeological Society, the underwater investigation of a medieval crannog in the Highlands could help fill gaps in a “critically important part of Scotland’s settlement history”. PIC: James McComas | James McComas

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, which funded the research, said the dig will help fill gaps in a “critically important part of Scotland’s settlement history”.

Dr Michael Stratigos, of the University of Aberdeen, said that “incredible preservation” of the timbers used to build the crannog offered “exceptional evidence” of the wider environment and climate of the time.

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He added: “As we face the challenges of anthropogenic climate change (climate change originating in human activity), the information stored on crannogs represents a unique opportunity to offer a long-term perspective on our present situation and how people at different times have coped with climate change in the past”.

The excavation at Loch Achilty will seek to establish the full chronology for the site.

While the recent dates show activity at the crannog during the medieval period, it is unclear if the dwelling was originally constructed during an earlier period.

It is also currently unclear how long the crannog was occupied for, if it was reused, or when it was finally abandoned.

Known crannogs from the medieval period are rare and therefore very few of them have been studied.

There is also minimal knowledge of how Highland crannogs throughout history were constructed or how and why they were used.

The excavation will take place at Loch Achilty, which is around 20 miles north-west of Inverness, in September 2025.

Following the grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the team will record features of the underwater structure to establish the construction method and any signs of occupation.

Additional timbers will be sought for radiocarbon dating and, potentially, dendrochronology -or tree-ring dating - will be used to allow for more precise dating.

Any organic material, such as charcoal, will be sampled for paleoenvironmental analysis, which could reveal more about the environment around the loch centuries ago.

Richard Guest, Project Lead and amateur archaeologist with NOSAS, said:  “At the moment, we have dates spanning almost 400 years for a structure on the island.

“Hopefully the excavation of more timbers will lead to more dates and therefore a sequence for how the crannog was used - more specific dates of sequences could help to provide the story of who built the crannog and who used it.”

Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: “Crannogs contain some of the best-preserved evidence for life in the past in Scotland and are a critically important part of our settlement history which is one of the reasons why we were so excited about this application.

“We are especially grateful to our 2,600 Fellows across the globe, whose subscription fees enable us to distribute these grants each year. If you’d also like to support our work, please consider becoming a Fellow to help cover the cost of high-quality research into Scotland’s past”.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland grants are open to everyone, and the next deadline for applications is April 30, 2025.

Past work by Dr Stratigos includes an investigation of crannog timbers preserved underwater at Loch Tay.

There, he made a breathough in their understanding of human habitation on the water after remains of a sunken crannog, which was supported over the water on stilts, was dated to between 370BC and 355BC.

The high level of accuracy of the dates allowed researchers to build a social history of the loch. It is now known there were 18 crannog sites on Loch Tay, which each structure holding between 15 and 20 people, plus animals.

It is estimated that the Loch Tay crannogs were built using the timbers from 1,000 trees, indicating a massive investment in the homes on the water.

Meanwhile, a study of four crannogs on the Isle of Lewis found the structures were used some 5,700 years ago during the Neolithic period.

There, stone causeways were constructed to reach the artificial islands, which could also be made of boulders.

Substantial quantities of Neolithic ceramic vessels were recovered from the lochs on Lewis, with many found to be almost intact suggesting they were whole when thrown into the water.

Researchers believe that people were throwing them into the water as part of a ritual performed on the islets.

The sites were dated to between 3640BC to 3360BC.