Souterrain

. [Lucas, A. T. 1971-73 Souterrains: The Literary Evidence, "Bealoideas" 39-41, 165-91.] An article by Warner on the archaeology of souterrains, although published thirty years ago, is still possibly the best general overview of the subject. [Warner, R.B. 1979 The Irish souterrains and their background, in H. Crawford (ed) "Subterranean Britain: aspects of underground archaeology", 100-44. London.] The most comprehensive study of Irish souterrains is Clinton's 2001 work, containing chapters on distribution, associated settlements, function, finds, chronology and no less than thirteen appendices on various structural aspects of souterrains themselves. [Clinton, M. 2001 "The Souterrains of Ireland". Wordwell, Bray.] The book lacks an index. A short summary account of souterrains in Ireland appeared in the quarterly magazine "Archaeology Ireland" in 2004. [O'Sullivan, M. and Downey, L. Souterrains, "Archaeology Ireland", no. 70 (Winter 2004), 34-6.]

The name comes from the French language, in which it means "underground passageway". In languages other than English, it is sometimes used to mean 'basement', especially in warehouses.

Souterrains are underground galleries and, in their early stages, were always associated with a settlement. The galleries were dug out and then lined with stone slabs or wood before being reburied. In cases where they were cut into rock this was not always necessary. They do not appear to have been used for burial or ritual purposes and it has been suggested that they were food stores or hiding places during times of strife, although some of them would have had very obvious entrances. In Ireland they are often found inside or in close proximity to a ringfort and as such are thought to be mainly contemporary with them, making them somewhat later in date than in other countries. This date is reinforced by many examples where ogham stones, dating to around the sixth century have been reused as roofing lintels or door posts, most notably at the widened natural limestone fissure at the 'cave of the cats' in Rathcrogan. Their distribution is very uneven in Ireland with the most notable concentration centred around County Louth. In Scotland some of them may be connected with the same people who built brochs.

An example of an excavated souterrain is the site at Rosal, Strathnaver, Sutherland [Corcoran, W. The souterrain at Rosal, Strathnaver, Sutherland, "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland", 1967-68, 100, 114-8] . In this excavation, no artefacts or other finds were made inside the structure and the roof may have been only partially covered with stones, a timber roof being present on part of it. It was suggested that the souterrain could have been used as a byre or barn and it was associated with an abandoned settlement.

A nicely-illustrated account of a souterrain excavated at Newtownbalregan, Co. Louth, one of the many souterrains discovered during the recent road-building programme in Ireland may be found in "Archaeology Ireland" Winter 2003 issue. [Bailey, D. and Roycroft, N. Souterrain City, "Archaeology Ireland", No. 66, 24-7.]

A full report on the excavation of a 3-level souterrain at Farrandreg, Co. Louth, in 1998 gives references for the fourteen souterrains previously excavated in this souterrain-rich county. [Murphy, D. 2000 Archaeological excavation of a souterrain at Farrandreg, Dundalk, County Louth, "County Louth Archaeological and Historical Journal", 24, 2 (1998), 261-80.] Finds included a rotary quern, a bone comb, a copper-alloy stick pin, three bone needles and the greater part of a tub-shaped pottery vessel in 'Souterrain ware'. The excavator concluded, on the evidence of the finds, that the souterrain had been closed up in the twelfth century.

References

ee also

*Fogou

External links

* [http://highlandfolk.museum/raitts.php The Raitts souterrain] , approximately two thousand years old, in the Badenoch district of the Scottish Highlands.