crannogs

Archaeologists in the UK have shown how ancient elite families retained their command over communities in the medieval world crannogs in north-western Europe. They controlled the communities they ruled from offshore homes located on enhanced islands in lakes and estuaries. While the elites of Ancient Egypt let their hair down in vast stone palaces, and as the ruling classes of South America hosted parties in temple-pyramids, ancient landlords in the islands of Ireland and Great Britain commanded their power over communities from the safety of artificial luxury islands. Crannogs: From Iron Age Houses to Medieval Control Centers In prehistoric Ireland, Scotland and Wales, “ crannogs ” were generally wooden circular structures built on islands in lakes and in river estuaries