By Bernd Biege
Ireland Travel Expert, about.com
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Round towers have provided food for thought both for academics and
amateur antiquarians over the last centuries and the jury is still
occasionally out on the finer points – but the most exotic theories as
to their origin and purpose have been dispelled. So let us take a
(light-hearted) look at what explanations people came up with, often ignoring Irish history while dreaming up their "explanations" ...
The Buddhist Phalli of Ireland?
One
of the most far-fetched explanations for the impressive Irish erections
was provided (or rather dreamt up) by the Orientalist Henry O'Brien in
1832, totally hooked on Eastern culture and philosophy. In a long and
winding treatise he came to the conclusion that the pillars of stone
were the visible legacy of a phallo-centric Buddhist
cult. According to O'Brien's version of history, Ireland once had an
influx of Buddhist immigrants who raised the round towers as places of
phallic worship. This happened before Saint Patrick, obviously.
Notwithstanding logic, missing evidence, and
the simple fact that round towers were erected well past Patrick's time,
the Royal Irish Academy granted O'Brien a price of £ 20 for his work.
The Danish Connection
To
be honest, the Buddhist theory was not the first time a “foreign”
background to the Irish round tower was suggested – in 1724 Thomas
Molyneux published "A discourse concerning the Danish mounts, forts and
towers". His theory in a nutshell: Danish Vikings
built the round towers after arriving in Ireland. Again the time frame
does not fit the theory, Viking invasions happened after the first round
towers were built. And no hard facts support Molyneux' theory. In fact
one blatantly obvious problem was conveniently overlooked. This being
the non-existence of anything remotely resembling an Irish round tower
anywhere in Denmark (or Northern Europe and Scandinavia in general).
Far-Advanced Ancient Architects
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passing nod must go to other civilizations importing round towers into
Ireland. Amongst which were "African Sea Kings" - the Phoenicians, the
mysterious "sea peoples",
and similar folk. While there may have been trade between Africa and
Ireland, this still does not fit any historical time frame. "Ancient
Astronauts" also got a foot in - after all, round towers bear an uncanny
resemblance to a rocket, and in 1054 a "round tower made of fire" was
seen over Meath. Does Erich von Däniken know more?And then there are the Zoroastrians.
These fire-worshippers lit their sacred flames in Ireland too (some
think), on the round towers they had especially built ... but
unfortunately left no further trace of their stay. What connects these
theories, apart from being on the lunatic fringe? The subtext: Irish
builders could not have been able to construct the round towers without
outside help.
Getting Away From It All
Early Irish
Christianity certainly took on influences from the East and was
different way to mainstream Roman Catholicism. The Irish ideal was a
monastic, quiet live somewhere out of the way. Irish monks liked to be
left alone and some may even have tried to emulate the stylites, living
saints living on pillars. Hence the round tower was considered as a
place where a stylite lived. Apart from missing evidence that anybody
ever lived permanently in a round tower ... the very concept of an
ascetic life as a stylite goes against this. A single man living in
round tower would have been akin to modern hermit occupying the Empire
State Building on his own (insert your favourite Howard Hughes joke here if you can't resist).
Is That the Time?
Sooner
or later a cosmological explanation was bound to spring up – and the
round tower as the centrepiece of a gigantic sundial makes at least some
sense. Unfortunately no evidence of an actual “dial” matching this
theory can be found. And it may well be asked whether a stick in the mud
would not have served the same purpose for less cost and effort. On the
other had the theory cannot be totally discarded: A monk in the upper
chamber may well have kept an eye on the moving shadow of the tower and
deducted the time of day from it. When the shadow falls on Brother Leo's
grave, it is time for lunch. It seems to be preposterous, however, to
suggest that the towers were built for this purpose.
Nearer My God to Thee
The
same problem is faced by the fringe theory that the towers were built
as vertical ossuaries, bone-houses. This seems to be supported by the
skeletons found in some towers, but ... nowhere was a veritable mass of
bones discovered, all finds were of small measure and without
consistency. It is therefore more likely that these bones were the
remains of people actually killed in the towers (some where burnt with
occupants), of people interred before the foundations were laid or
simply discarded bones from other graves. And there is always the
possibility that a shrine was kept in the tower.
Early Warning System and Mighty Fortress
It
is more than likely that the towers would have doubled up as
observation platforms to warn the monks of approaching raiders,
thunderstorms and tax collectors. If you have a tower, why not use it?
But, again, nobody would have built a round tower just for this purpose.
Closely connected to the look-out ist the theory of the round tower as a
defensive structure. This likens the slim round tower to the more or
less squat donjon of medieval castles. It falls down on purely practical
grounds: missing arrow slits and other military details would have
rendered the tower useless for that purpose. But there is another
possibility ...
The Monks' Panic Room
[post_ads]The round tower is
often seen as a safe refuge for monks – and this certainly was true at
times, some annals tell of a dash for the tower with enemies
approaching. Undoubtedly the round tower was the most massive part of a
monastery, suggesting a safe haven. Unfortunately most annals continue
to relate that the round tower was then burnt by the attackers, leading
to the most unpleasant death of those seeking refuge therein. Round
towers may have been a deterrent for the odd marauding band without
ambitions. Those wanting to make a killing would simply have to light a
decent fire and than wait until the chimney-like tower became a roaring
furnace. Picking through the charred bones for molten gold would have
been easy afterwards.
Squirrelling Away Treasures
Round
towers were high and dry and it would have been a waste of space not to
store some valuables in them. These would have been safe from the
elements, rodents and even the odd passing thief. But not from
determined raiders (see above). The occasionally heard theory that the
round towers were a “hiding place” for valuables seems to be pure
fallacy ... unless you define as a “hiding place” the only building a
one-eyed and severely myopic Viking would be able to spot in fog and
rain.
Occam's Razor? Multi-Purpose Bell Tower!
The Irish
word for a round tower is ... cloicteach, literally “the house of the
bell” and used in annals written when round towers were all the rage.
Let us be blunt then in assuming that the round tower was a bell tower
or “campanile”. Not only used to house a bell, but also used to ring it
from the upper floor. Even small bells test-rung there can be heard from
mile or more away. Though we have no evidence that a rope was used to
ring the bell from the lower floors, this is not only possible but would
have been the most practical way to go about it.
Unfortunately even the just applied Occam's razor
won't cut to the chase here ... we simply do not know and it is
unlikely that we'll ever find out. The Irish round tower is a unique
piece of ecclesiastical architecture that only flourished in Ireland,
that is sure. But who built the first one and whether it was inspired by
vaguely similar European buildings, so your guess is as good as mine.
But I'd guess they were built by the Irish ...
