Fogou

Fogous consist of a buried, usually corbelled stone wall, tapering at the top and capped by stone slabs. They were mainly constructed by excavating a sloping trench about wide and deep, lining it with drystone walling as stated, which was battered inwards and roofed with flat slabs; soil from excavation was heaped on top as at Pendeen Vau or incorporated in the rampart of the enclosure as at Halliggye Fogou, Trelowarren. ==Function==

It has been conjectured that they were made as refuges, or for religious purposes, or for food storage. Nancy Edwards wrote that "evidence would support this: Creeps, hidden chambers, and sally ports, as well as the fact that most souterrains were invisible above ground, would all have helped to provide protection in the case of sudden attack. They could, however, turn into death-traps if the aggression was prolonged." Cold storage hypothesis Although in their present damp condition, use for food storage seems impractical, Ashpits found at Trewardreva and in the circular side-chamber at Carn Euny were probably for preserving gulls' eggs, as was done on Saint Kilda in Scotland. A layer of black greasy mould with charcoal, animal and bird bones at Treveneague is also very suggestive of food storage. ==Etymology==

The word may be related to the Cornish words (plural ) and/or (plural ), both meaning "cave". In the past, locals in Cornwall have called them "fuggy-holes" but this term is seldom used today. ==History and archaeology==

(petrosphere) found at Jock's Thorn farm in Kilmaurs, East Ayrshire, Scotland. One function of the souterrains of Gaul and early medieval Ireland is to hide in boltholes to escape detection by raiders. Fogous may have had a similar function to the underground kivas of the Puebloans. Other underground structures such as "earth houses" or souterrains have some similarities with fogous. An example of an excavated souterrain is the site at Rosal, Strathnaver, Sutherland. In this example no 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 souterrains could have been used as barns. Fogous are often associated with dwellings such as Iron Age villages. Petrospheres or "stone balls" have been found in souterrains and, as possible symbols of power within prehistoric society, this discovery suggest a use other than basic storage of food and resources. Two fogous have been excavated by Time Team, Boleigh Fogou in Series 3 (1995) and Boden Vean in Series 21 (2021). ==Sites==

Halliggye Fogou on the Trelowarren estate is generally accepted to be the largest and best surviving fogou. Other unspoiled fogous survive at Carn Euny, Boleigh Fogou near Lamorna, as Pixie's Hall or Piskey Hall. Another was found during rescue excavations at Penhale Round on the A30, the most easterly example, but this has since been destroyed. ==See also==