What's new?

[oleg]

Hi there!

Hope you all are doing well these days: beer is still cold and you have a lovely time during gigs .

I'm back to active phase of re-enactment. We've got 2 new girls in our group, website is back. Choosing a shortlist of ringed pins/brooches for a new jewelery order.
I've even created my first pair of Lucas type I shoes for one of the girls and got paid for;).

Our friends from Moscow created a currach. Looks just like Billy's,the only main difference is that they didn't try it yet .

What's new with you?
Any new

finds;
books/sources;
gigs;
museums;
photos;
websites;
motorways (excavations)

Look forward to hearing from you.

[Dave Mooney]

Hey, Welcome back....where have you been?

finds; http://www.burrenforts.ie/main/finds_2009.php
books/sources; http://www.amazon.com/Archaeology-Settlement-Discovery-Programme-Monograph/dp/1874045623
gigs; http://www.hellfirefestival.com/?page=news
museums; http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/MidlandsEastCoast/CorleaTrackwayVisitorCentre/
photos; It's my Currach as well! http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5PlX63C5FKE9m0DzRSp_EA?authkey=Gv1sRgCIPl7vjNl_CNKA&feat=directlink
websites; http://craggaunowen.org/
motorways (excavations); http://www.nra.ie/Archaeology/BrochureandPosterSeries/

Have fun!

Dave.

[Dave Mooney]

Oh, yes, and seeing as we were discussing Corn Drying Kilns do check out the Caherconnel digs of last year. They dug one up http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZIuWUgMakN5E9rkTAuB3iA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMaXvfHy-MnMdA&feat=directlink

[oleg]

Thanks, Dave.
I had a "reenactment break" with no research for at least 6 months .

Nice pics. And thanks for the rest of links. Special thanks for the book.
PS: I found that Corn Drying Kilns were not so common in early medieval ringforts. They're mentioned as distinctive features even for arable farming sites.
Did you build yours?

[Dave Mooney]

No. We're still researching kilns. We'll then have to go to the management company with a plan to build it. It's also a thing we're likely to build then only use once to prove a point. If we could make it a college project it might make it more worth while. We're still thinking on that one.

There are cases of kilns being found between forts so were most likely used between their owners. (No real need to keep such a feature in a fort, better to have it near the crops) Crops may have been shared also but I'd say communal features such as Kilns and Fulacht Fias would be open for use to people for miles around and perhaps the drying process was done in bulk like the grinding at 'common' mills later on (ie. not everyone ground their own grain and later when it was taxed the best way to keep control was to have it brought to the one guy).