tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post1136480351055525342..comments2024-03-18T10:40:00.766+00:00Comments on A Kilchoan Diary: A Viking Barbecue PitJonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11348491898920520197noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-38570368308170537592016-10-30T14:38:06.424+00:002016-10-30T14:38:06.424+00:00The idea of a shooting pit, eg for clay pigeons, i...The idea of a shooting pit, eg for clay pigeons, is a good one, Stuart. When we first saw it we thought it might be for practising trench warfare. JonJonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11348491898920520197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-52275519820455453722016-10-30T11:57:59.474+00:002016-10-30T11:57:59.474+00:00The burnt stone must have been reused because it h...The burnt stone must have been reused because it has unburnt stones all around it,... lending evidence that whatever this is/was, it was built with stone from something elseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05642152933638890025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-10266350490229963282016-10-30T11:16:59.934+00:002016-10-30T11:16:59.934+00:00As you say Jon, it doesnt look that old,... could ...As you say Jon, it doesnt look that old,... could it be simply a shooting pit,... [maybe built with stone from some other purpose],...though what they might be shooting I dont knowAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05642152933638890025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-89952090376655397092016-10-28T11:05:52.740+01:002016-10-28T11:05:52.740+01:00It could indeed. There are a couple of things agai...It could indeed. There are a couple of things against. One is the evidence of burning, shown in the lumps of limestone lying around, the second is that the pit is in such good condition that, in all seriousness, I can't believe it is that old. It's also in such an odd place, with a rocky and inaccessible shore below it, steep cliffs behind, and some distance from any building. JonJonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11348491898920520197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-63120946501330126382016-10-28T10:49:07.032+01:002016-10-28T10:49:07.032+01:00I was reading the Vikinganswerlady at the link abo...I was reading the Vikinganswerlady at the link above and came across ...<br />"Fermentation of meat for preservation is a fairly alien concept to a modern Westerner, but was used in the Viking Age and continues to be used even today in certain traditional Scandinavian foods, such as hakikarl (fermented shark) in Iceland, or surströmning (sour herring) in northern Sweden. In general, the unopened animal was covered, often in a pit, and left to ferment in the absence of air and sometimes utilizing salt."<br /><br />could this be a use for your pit?cazinatutuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06515272715680004344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-29218838236489622312016-10-28T09:43:31.237+01:002016-10-28T09:43:31.237+01:00Derryck, as far as I know no-one has excavated the...Derryck, as far as I know no-one has excavated the pit. The Transitions people know about it.<br />Many thanks for the links, Anonymous, both of which were very interesting. I have just finished reading a book about Viking Scotland and it suggests much the same from the archaeological evidence. JonJonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11348491898920520197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-28069234978590959092016-10-27T20:03:09.277+01:002016-10-27T20:03:09.277+01:00As a general rule the Vikings were not great meat-...As a general rule the Vikings were not great meat-eaters (ref 1 below) and they usually boiled meat rather than roasting it (ref 2). But there are, of course, always exceptions to every general pattern. Hope you find the references below interesting, in any case.<br /><br />(1) http://vikingfoodguy.com/wordpress/papers/viking-cooking-a-theoretical-reconstruction-from-the-archaeological-and-written-record/<br /><br />(2) http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/food.shtmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-91083558874037387252016-10-27T19:12:23.590+01:002016-10-27T19:12:23.590+01:00Where is your proof that St Columba Baptised here ...Where is your proof that St Columba Baptised here He seems to popup at every puddle in ScotlandAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885184849467086568.post-64717351242108105932016-10-27T10:22:36.640+01:002016-10-27T10:22:36.640+01:00Looks like a rational design for a pit oven. Has t...Looks like a rational design for a pit oven. Has there ever been or could be a study of the basal sediments for clues (assuming its not all washed out)?Derryck Mortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00351680886475749476noreply@blogger.com