Mesolithic Huts
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Fascinating
In Patricks parachute set up at the weekend there was a definate interface between the smoke filled top of the parachute and below, as Patrick said the poles needed to be between 4 to 6 ft longer as some of the taller guys standing up were in the smoke zone, whereas the people sitting were a couple of feet below. Another interesting thing was, after it rained all night the smoke zone was dry, on the outside, whereas the lower portion of the parachute was still quite wet.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a thermodynamic model of the varients to get the best design, or perhaps more importantly how good the crannog design was.
Stephen
In Patricks parachute set up at the weekend there was a definate interface between the smoke filled top of the parachute and below, as Patrick said the poles needed to be between 4 to 6 ft longer as some of the taller guys standing up were in the smoke zone, whereas the people sitting were a couple of feet below. Another interesting thing was, after it rained all night the smoke zone was dry, on the outside, whereas the lower portion of the parachute was still quite wet.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a thermodynamic model of the varients to get the best design, or perhaps more importantly how good the crannog design was.
Stephen
Scots_Charles_River
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Was the peak of the chute just tied up or did it have a pole ?
I hope the Merryment and drinking did not bring down the Loch Tay Grendel !
Nick
I hope the Merryment and drinking did not bring down the Loch Tay Grendel !
Nick
"but I'm not too sure about that top piece of thatching due to it being very flat, although I am probably wrong"
Well, time will tell. I guess if they were permanantly occupied, or at least seasonally, they would be more waterproof, since the 'dry parachute effect' mentioned above also holds true for thatch.
Also, the thatch is double thick at the top, so hopefully that'll help. Finally, they're built right at the base of a large tree, in a reasonably good forest canopy. That'll also count for some shelter, especially when the leaves return.
Well, time will tell. I guess if they were permanantly occupied, or at least seasonally, they would be more waterproof, since the 'dry parachute effect' mentioned above also holds true for thatch.
Also, the thatch is double thick at the top, so hopefully that'll help. Finally, they're built right at the base of a large tree, in a reasonably good forest canopy. That'll also count for some shelter, especially when the leaves return.
Indeed. I wasn't knocking your work, hopefully my post didn't read like that although we all know how the written word can so often be misconstrued! I will be very interested to see how it fairs, but as you say it does look to be in a very sheltered place. In fact, i would love to spend a few weeks in a hut like that, just to see what it was like.
Don't worry Spamel, I didn't read it that way. In fact, that's one of the reasons I posted in the first place, so other, perhaps more experienced, eyes could see it, and tease out some ideas and comments.
Perhaps a fully conical roof would be even better, and might shed the rain more effectively.
Thanks for the feedback.
Perhaps a fully conical roof would be even better, and might shed the rain more effectively.
Thanks for the feedback.
Very nice work! Looked like fun too. 
Who was the bloke with the Micigan State sweatshirt? I did my graduate and postdoc work at MSU.
Who was the bloke with the Micigan State sweatshirt? I did my graduate and postdoc work at MSU.
Tell them to come and film here in Canada, the wilderness is about as Mesolithic as it gets...and so are some of the blokes I bushcraft with...
Alex
The film "Quest for fire" had several scenes filmed on the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario, where I grew up. From what I can tell, most of the rocky scenes were from the Colpoys Bay/Cyrpus Lake region.
Yeah I know the film isn't 100% accurate by a long shot, but still a favourite of mine
Funny you should say that
Butser Iron Age farm in Hampshire (the first experimental archaeology centre in the UK) built the first accurate reconstructed roundhouses at the end of the 60's (or early 70's) and the first couple had smoke holes. It takes less than 20 minutes to go from pretty cooking fire to house sized pile of ash! My little shelter I use in the woods is the same sort of design, but about twice the size and covered with plastic tarps. I adjust how much space there is under the top tarp (like the horizontal thatch in the film) so that I can get the smoke to rise and escape freely, but maintaining a certain level of smoke at the of the roof as an estiguisher
Sometimes when teh wind drops I have to run outside and ope the gap a bit wider before the smoke gets too low NIce job there btw. Do you happen to know what was found at the Mesolithic site up the road?
"Do you happen to know what was found at the Mesolithic site up the road?"
I do indeed. They found a few circles suggestive of huts, a few hundred flint and chert flakes, and three cremations. This is possibly one of the most significant mesolithic sites in Ireland, after Mount Sandel, in that it gives good solid evidence for what the these people were doing with their dead. Before this, all we had was a few remains from a midden, and some bones from a cave. Now, we know they took the time, and had the expertise, to cremate the dead, and bury the ashes. Not only that, but the site also revealed polished stone axes, one of which was recovered from a pit containing a cremation, and a substantial post hole. This suggests that the buried cremations were marked above ground with markers. These may or may not have been decorated.
It also pushes the date for polished stone axes way back into the earlier mesolithic, so all in all, a very inportant site.
I do indeed. They found a few circles suggestive of huts, a few hundred flint and chert flakes, and three cremations. This is possibly one of the most significant mesolithic sites in Ireland, after Mount Sandel, in that it gives good solid evidence for what the these people were doing with their dead. Before this, all we had was a few remains from a midden, and some bones from a cave. Now, we know they took the time, and had the expertise, to cremate the dead, and bury the ashes. Not only that, but the site also revealed polished stone axes, one of which was recovered from a pit containing a cremation, and a substantial post hole. This suggests that the buried cremations were marked above ground with markers. These may or may not have been decorated.
It also pushes the date for polished stone axes way back into the earlier mesolithic, so all in all, a very inportant site.
I agree with the others about the roof. No hole in the crannog roof since the draught produced by it would draw the heat and fire upwards like a chimney and set the reeds alight.
Some of the older thatched houses had a hinging lum to act as a remote chimney for just that reason. The fire is at floor level but the base of the wooden hinging lum is above head height.
For a long time archaeologists interpreted arcs of small stake holes as being only used for hunting blinds or occasional shelter; it took a sea change of opinion to see that a (relatively) flimsy structure could indeed be a comfortable and very stable family home even in our wet, cold climate. It isn't necessary to use massive timber posts to support the roof.
cheers,
Toddy
Some of the older thatched houses had a hinging lum to act as a remote chimney for just that reason. The fire is at floor level but the base of the wooden hinging lum is above head height.
For a long time archaeologists interpreted arcs of small stake holes as being only used for hunting blinds or occasional shelter; it took a sea change of opinion to see that a (relatively) flimsy structure could indeed be a comfortable and very stable family home even in our wet, cold climate. It isn't necessary to use massive timber posts to support the roof.
cheers,
Toddy
The basic shape reminds me of one thing, an eggshell....now thats one incredibly strong shape in anyones book
A well made Ger should be strong enough for a man to hang from the star-wheel, works the same way
A well made Ger should be strong enough for a man to hang from the star-wheel, works the same way
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