Possible Souterrain on Islay
The picture above shows what may be the entrance to a souterrain, identified from the Kiells area of Islay. According to reports, the site was identified when a shepherd lost a lamb down a newly-formed hole in the ground. Further investigation indicated what appeared to be an artificially-created chamber formed from large stone slabs below the surface of the ground.
Souterrain (from French 'sous terrain', meaning 'under ground') is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure most generally associated with the Iron Age, also variously known as earth houses, fogous and Pictish houses. These structures take the form of an underground gallery, often characterised by a distinctive curved form. Indeed, as most of these structures are below ground-level, they are often initially identified as a distinctive 'banana shaped' cropmark visible on aerial photographs. The souterrain gallery would have been dug out and then lined with stone slabs before being reburied.
The original purpose of souterrains is uncertain, though they do not appear to have been used for burial. They are often found in association with settlements, and it has been suggested that they may have acted as food stores or hiding places during times of strife, although some of them would have had very obvious entrances, possibly arguing against this interpretation. However, alternative interpretations suggest that they may have served a more ritual purpose, possibly associated with a rite of passage. Certainly, very little cultural material has ever been recovered from within souterrains. This may be because they were cleared out prior to their abandonment, though it is also likely that most of the material that may have been stored in them would have been organic, and would therefore have decayed over time.
At this stage, little information is available on the feature identified at Kiells. However, a more complete report of the site will be posted when a more detailed description is supplied to the Sites and Monuments Record