Souterrain

Storing food for the winter months or for use during sieges was of vital importance. The tribes of Gaul, Germania and Britannia employed a number of techniques to keep people fed beyond harvest time. Storage pits were common to many of the tribes. Examples have been found in settlements all over Europe and have actually helped archaeologists to piece together the diets of the people who ate from them. Another common find is a primitive underground larder, the souterrain - known as a fogou in Cornwall. Most souterrains have timber roofs but the fogou at Carn Euny has a roof made of heavy stone slabs. Alongside the Halliggye fogou, it is one of the largest stores from the period ever discovered and runs for 65 metres underground.