5k-year-old artificial island hidden in Scottish loch predates Stonehenge
a day ago
- #Photogrammetry Technique
- #Underwater Archaeology
- #Neolithic Crannog
- Archaeologists revealed a 5,000-year-old artificial island in Scotland's Loch Bhorgastail, initially a wooden platform dating back to the Neolithic period, predating Stonehenge.
- The crannog, first used between 3800 and 3300 BCE, was later modified in the Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age, featuring a submerged stone causeway for shore access.
- Hundreds of Neolithic pottery fragments with food residues were found, indicating communal activities such as cooking and gatherings, suggesting organized community efforts.
- A new stereophotogrammetry method was developed to study shallow-water sites, overcoming the 'white ribbon' data gap by merging underwater and drone imagery into 3D models.
- The technique provides high-resolution, accurate documentation of land-water boundaries, offering a portable, low-cost tool for exploring many unexplored crannogs across Scotland.