Latest news with #SusannaHarris
Daily Record
23-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Ancient Scottish textile hidden under a loch for 2,500 years to go on display
Discovered in 1979 at the Oakbank Crannog, the textile is thought to be one of Britain's oldest surviving woven fabrics A remarkably well-preserved Iron Age textile is going on public display for the very first time after being hidden beneath Loch Tay for nearly 2,500 years. The ancient fabric remnant was found back in 1979 after lying undiscovered for millenia. Believed to be one of the oldest surviving pieces of woven fabric in Britain, the textile was discovered during excavations at the Oakbank Crannog, a reconstructed Iron Age dwelling that was perched on stilts above the loch in Perthshire. Natural preservation by silt at the bottom of the loch kept the rare find intact over the centuries, but until now, it was considered too delicate to exhibit. Thanks to a meticulous conservation and stabilisation process, funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, the textile can now be safely viewed by the public. It is being showcased from Wednesday at the Scottish Crannog Centre, where it has taken pride of place in the Iron Age village, visitor centre and museum on the shores of Loch Tay. The precious relic is housed in a climate-controlled cabinet to ensure its protection for future generations. Mike Benson, director of the Scottish Crannog Centre, said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to be able to invite the public to come and see this amazing find. 'This piece would have been made by a whole community, from the shearing of the sheep, to the processing and dyeing of the wool, to the weaving of the textile. 'Our centre today is very much about community and the one thing that unites all of us is our common humanity through the ages. 'We're really looking forward to finding out what people make of this rare textile, which is part of our past but also a hugely important part of our present and future. We hope people will be drawn to see this exhibit, and the rest of our extensive collection, for years to come.' Archaeologists at the University of Glasgow have dated the Oakbank Textile to between 480 and 390BC using radiocarbon analysis. Dr Susanna Harris, senior lecturer in archaeology at the university, said: 'There are very few early textiles of this date and we think this is the first one of this type, of 2/1 twill, in Scotland. 'Wool was such an important material in Scotland, it's been exciting to analyse this piece. It's great that the Scottish Crannog Centre has taken this step. "It's really important finds like this go on display. It may be a small piece of textile but it tells us a lot about the heritage of Scottish textiles.' Crannogs, ancient homes built on stilts or stone over water, were once a common sight across Scotland, typically linked to the shore by a wooden bridge. These unique dwellings date back to Neolithic times, with very few examples found outside Scotland and Ireland. The Scottish Crannog Centre's own reconstructed crannog was tragically lost to a fire in 2021. But in a major step forward, the centre reopened last year on a larger site near Kenmore. The team is now well underway with building a new crannog, using traditional and sustainable construction techniques to honour the site's historical roots.
The Independent
23-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Fragments of Iron Age textile found in loch go on show for first time
A rare piece of Iron Age textile which lay buried in a loch for nearly 2,500 years is going on public display for the first time. The woven fabric, believed to be one of the oldest of its kind in Britain, was found in Loch Tay in Perthshire where it was naturally preserved by the silt on the bottom. It was discovered in 1979 when an Iron Age loch dwelling house, known as the Oakbank Crannog, was excavated. It is now on public display for the first time at the Scottish Crannog Centre's Iron Age village, visitor centre and museum, on the banks of Loch Tay. The textile was previously thought to be too fragile to go on show but it has now gone through a painstaking stabilisation and conservation process, funded by Museums Galleries Scotland. It is on display from Wednesday and is being housed safely in a climate-controlled cabinet. Mike Benson, director of the Scottish Crannog Centre, said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to be able to invite the public to come and see this amazing find. 'This piece would have been made by a whole community, from the shearing of the sheep, to the processing and dyeing of the wool, to the weaving of the textile. 'Our centre today is very much about community and the one thing that unites all of us is our common humanity through the ages. 'We're really looking forward to finding out what people make of this rare textile, which is part of our past but also a hugely important part of our present and future. 'We hope people will be drawn to see this exhibit, and the rest of our extensive collection, for years to come.' The fabric, known as the Oakbank Textile, has been analysed by archaeologists at the University of Glasgow who have radiocarbon dated the material to between 480 and 390BC. Dr Susanna Harris, senior lecturer in archaeology at the university, said: 'There are very few early textiles of this date and we think this is the first one of this type, of 2/1 twill, in Scotland. ' Wool was such an important material in Scotland, it's been exciting to analyse this piece. 'It's great that the Scottish Crannog Centre has taken this step. It's really important finds like this go on display. It may be a small piece of textile but it tells us a lot about the heritage of Scottish textiles.' Crannogs were dwelling houses built on stilts or stone over water and usually had a bridge connecting them to the shore. The first crannogs in Scotland were built on lochs from Neolithic times and very few are said to exist outside of Scotland and Ireland. The centre's reconstructed crannog was destroyed in a fire in 2021. Last year the Scottish Crannog Centre reopened to visitors on a new and enlarged site near Kenmore and the team are well on the way to completing a new crannog using sustainable and historical construction methods.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare Iron Age textile to go on display for first time
An ancient textile which gives a unique insight into Iron Age Scotland is to go on display for the first time. The piece of fine woven yarn is almost 2,500 years old and dates back to the early to middle part of the Iron Age. It was previously thought to be too fragile to display, but following conservation work it has gone on permanent display at the Scottish Crannog Centre in Kenmore, Perthshire. The textile, believed to be the oldest of its kind, was originally discovered in 1979 when an Iron Age dwelling house, known as The Oakbank Crannog, was excavated on Loch Tay. The material had been pushed into silt on the loch bed which led to its survival, having been preserved naturally over thousands of years. It has been analysed by archaeologists at the University of Glasgow and radiocarbon dated to 390BC. It has also undergone a painstaking stabilisation and conservation process which has enabled it to be displayed safely in a climate-controlled cabinet. Maureen Kerr, an experimental archaeologist and volunteer at the centre, said: "The exciting thing is that there's nowhere else in Scotland that has textile of this size and of this age. "The fine weave is highly unusual for the time and area and, along with the fact there are remnants of a possible hem, it makes it a very rare and special discovery. "We believe this is the oldest of its type in Scotland." It is considered a unique example of a 2/1 twill weave, shedding light on some of the technologies society had in the Iron Age. Dr Susanna Harris, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Glasgow, analysed the textile on behalf of the centre. She said: "Wool was such an important material in Scotland, so it's been exciting to examine this piece. "It's really important finds like this go on display. "It may be a small piece of textile but it tells us a lot about the heritage of Scottish textiles." Crannogs were dwelling houses built on stilts over water and usually had a bridge connecting them to the shore. The first crannogs in Scotland were built on lochs from Neolithic times. The Scottish Crannog Centre's reconstructed crannog was destroyed by fire in 2021. It opened on its new and enlarged site near Kenmore last year and the build team is completing a new crannog using sustainable and historical construction methods.
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Rare Iron Age textile to go on display for first time
An ancient textile which gives a unique insight into Iron Age Scotland is to go on display for the first time. The piece of fine woven yarn is almost 2,500 years old and dates back to the early to middle part of the Iron was previously thought to be too fragile to display, but following conservation work it has gone on permanent display at the Scottish Crannog Centre in Kenmore, textile, believed to be the oldest of its kind, was originally discovered in 1979 when an Iron Age dwelling house, known as The Oakbank Crannog, was excavated on Loch Tay. The material had been pushed into silt on the loch bed which led to its survival, having been preserved naturally over thousands of has been analysed by archaeologists at the University of Glasgow and radiocarbon dated to has also undergone a painstaking stabilisation and conservation process which has enabled it to be displayed safely in a climate-controlled Kerr, an experimental archaeologist and volunteer at the centre, said: "The exciting thing is that there's nowhere else in Scotland that has textile of this size and of this age."The fine weave is highly unusual for the time and area and, along with the fact there are remnants of a possible hem, it makes it a very rare and special discovery. "We believe this is the oldest of its type in Scotland." It is considered a unique example of a 2/1 twill weave, shedding light on some of the technologies society had in the Iron Susanna Harris, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Glasgow, analysed the textile on behalf of the said: "Wool was such an important material in Scotland, so it's been exciting to examine this piece."It's really important finds like this go on display. "It may be a small piece of textile but it tells us a lot about the heritage of Scottish textiles."Crannogs were dwelling houses built on stilts over water and usually had a bridge connecting them to the shore. The first crannogs in Scotland were built on lochs from Neolithic Scottish Crannog Centre's reconstructed crannog was destroyed by fire in opened on its new and enlarged site near Kenmore last year and the build team is completing a new crannog using sustainable and historical construction methods.
