EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Sligo
Sroove (Lough Gara td.), Co. Sligo
Early Medieval Crannog.
Grid Reference: M70059999 (170055/299996)
SMR No: SL046-029
Excavation Licence: 97E0209
Excavation Duration/Year: 1996; 1997; 1998.
Site Director: C. Fredengren (Lough Gara Crannogs Research Programme).
Sroove crannog, Co. Sligo was a small, multi-phase crannog, situated on the western shore of
Lough Gara, Co. Sligo. The crannog was originally located in very shallow water (presently
exposed as a water meadow due to modern drainage), on top of an earlier stone causeway.
There was also a Bronze Age crannog cairn out in the water, with a similar, probably early
medieval crannog, situated directly to the north on the shoreline. The early medieval crannog
at Sroove was 15m in diameter, by 1.2m in height. Prior to excavation, it appeared as a cairn
of loosely-set angular stones, with some kerbstones and a circle of stones beside it.
In Phase 1 there was stone-built causeway leading out into the lake, 18m in length. The
causeway was built over blue lake clays, and a sandy surface produced by trampling lay on its
upper surface. There were a few fragments of animal bone (cattle, pig and sheep) from its
surface. Its date is unknown.
Phase 2 was an early medieval wooden crannog with a stone causeway, palisade and house.
The phase’s brushwood floor produced a radiocarbon date of A.D. 770-970. The site was
enclosed within a circular palisade, measuring 17m in diameter, of double and single rows of
ash-wood posts driven to a depth of 0.40m into the clay. There was a possible rectangular
jetty at the north side of the crannog. After the construction of the palisade, an oval to
rectangular house with rounded corners was built on the crannog’s surface. This house
measured 6.5m by 8m internally, and was defined by closely-spaced posts and was protected
by stones on the lake side. The house’s floor was a thick (0.20m) layer of hazel brushwood,
intermixed with clay. The floor produced evidence for blackberries, raspberries and elder
berries (suggesting a summer occupation) and grain (four types), although there was
relatively little evidence for animal bone. There were 1511 pieces of bone (8.82% of site
total), representing at least four cattle (two adults, two juveniles), four sheep/goat, three pig,
one young horse, and one deer. There was a possible entrance (1m wide) at the southwest
wall of the house, effectively hidden from view from the probable crannog entrance (at the
causeway). A possible hearth was represented by a fire-reddened stone at the centre of the
house. Outside the house, the space between it and the palisade was narrow. Finds from
Phase 2 included a bone pin (found in stone packing at the house wall), a thumb-scraper of
flint (a probable late Neolithic/early Bronze Age type) near a post and a black chert
arrowhead found in floor clays. These objects were probably carried onto the site.
Phase 3 was a stony-surfaced crannog, with radiocarbon dates from A.D. 600-900. The
crannog surface was rebuilt with a floor of flagstones and smaller boulders, in two/three
layers, with an outer deck of timbers laid around the edges of the site. Although there was no
clear structural evidence for a house, palaeoecological and other studies suggest that there
was a house on this floor. The hearth was re-used, suggesting a strong symbolic link with the
previous phase’s house. The palisade may have been pulled up towards the end of this
phase. There were also large amounts of animal bone found, particularly in front of the door
of the house and to the left towards the lake. This comprised a major proportion of the site’s
bone assemblage (56%), representing the remains of at least sixteen cattle, twelve pig, eight
sheep, six horse, one deer, one wild duck, and one hare. Finds from inside the house in this
phase are more representative of personal possessions, including a lignite bracelet, a comb
fragment from near the fireplace, bone beads, as well as iron nails and a bone pin towards
the back of the house. There was also a small bone needle and knife found at the back of the
house. There were also finds from outside the house, including iron nails, the head of a
ringed pin and bronze studs from a leather strap.
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