The historical settlements of man-made islands in northern Europe, known as Kranoge, were the center of the society’s elite, according to DNA analyses. That’s the conclusion reached by a team led by Anthony Brown of the University of Southampton based on sediment samples found in and around Crannogs in Scotland and Ireland. The data indicates that the people in the Crannogs stored grain and kept valuable animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and wild deer. The working group published its findings In the trade magazine “Ancient Antiquity”.
The islands that survive today date back over 6,000 years and spread across the lakes of Northern Europe, including Scotland and Ireland by the 17th century. Crank arms are usually about 30 meters in diameter and about 3 meters in length. To better understand life in these places, Brown’s group separated existing DNA from these deposits. For example, they found the remains of a fern plant. The fronds of a whole fern are supposed to be used by residents as bedding for animals, bedding for people, or as roofing material.
The team was also able to reconstruct the phosphorous content in the lake and conclude that people dumped litter and animal and human waste products into the water. Mineral analyzes also revealed many small, angular and porous pieces of apatite – a mineral found in teeth and bones. The researchers interpreted this finding as bone fragments from slaughterhouse waste. The authors say that various biomolecules and materials taken from the sediment cores indicate that the cranks were sites of slaughter, food storage, and possibly ceremonial festivals. (indeed)
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