Images

Image of Oakbank Crannog by follow that cow

Reconstruction of Oakbank Crannog. Visit soon, as it is beginning to disintegrate. These structures were extremely high maintenance.

Image credit: Donny McIntyre

Articles

Oakbank Crannog

When I visited the Crannog Centre last July all the tours were full so I had to content myself with viewing the crannog from the loch side. If you are travelling from afar (as I was) I would suggest you ring and book on a tour before setting out to avoid dissapointment.

Miscellaneous

Oakbank Crannog
Crannog

Here are two snippets of text from the Channel 4 web site describing Oakbank Crannog in the context of the Time Team special about the site, broadcast on 19th April 2004:

Excavation has been going on at the Oakbank site since 1980 largely due to the passion and dedication of Nick Dixon, who runs the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology at Edinburgh University. His wife, Barrie Andrian, shares his enthusiasm for the site, and over the years it has turned into something of a life’s work for the pair of them.

A few years ago, they used their discoveries and understanding from Oakbank to reconstruct a complete crannog at what is now the Scottish Crannog Centre about four miles away. Based entirely on the archaeological deposits found at Oakbank, the reconstruction not only provides the perfect context to the archaeology, but really brings Iron-Age society to life.


Oakbank crannog is completely submerged in the clear waters of Loch Tay. Underwater, the peaty loch bed provides almost perfect preservation conditions, and thus supplies more finds and information than equivalent land archaeology. Previous discoveries at the sites had included a wooden butter dish with butter still in it, bronze pins, floor timbers, small insects, a swan-neck pin, beads, a canoe paddle, woven cloth and cooking utensils. Altogether, the excavations on the site have found the remains of some 200 different plant species, including opium seeds and spelt wheat which previously the Romans were believed to have introduced to Britain.

Sites within 20km of Oakbank Crannog