DNA POINTS TO ELITES LIVING ON ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS CALLED CRANNOGS


RESEARCHERS HAVE RECOVERED DNA FROM THE SEDIMENTS SURROUNDING CRANNOGS, ANCIENT ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS.

Crannogs were built and occupied from the Neolithic, 4000-2200 BC, through to the 16th century AD. They are typically described as a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes and estuarine waters. Hundreds have been found across Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland; however, the aquatic location of crannogs makes them difficult for archaeologists to excavate.

Professor Antony Brown from UiT Arctic University of Norway, and an interdisciplinary team from across the UK took samples from lake sediments at crannog sites. The team found ancient DNA known as ‘sedaDNA’, along with environmental and biochemical data, suggesting that the structures were once used by elites according to a paper published in the journal Antiquity.

DNA points to elites living on artificial islands called crannogs - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News