3 Chapter Three: Archaeology

TIMELINE OF IRISH ARCHAEOLOGY

Mesolithic (c. 8500-4000 BCE):  The earliest inhabitants of Ireland were hunter-gatherers who lived in small bands that moved frequently. They lived a nomadic lifestyle, travelling from place to place in the search for food and resources. They abandoned a wide range of artefacts, such as shell middens, shell tools, animal bones, and stone tools.

Neolithic (c. 4000-2500 BCE):  Around this time, the first farmers arrived in Ireland. This period is known as the Neolithic. They introduced new forms of technology, such as pottery and tools made from polished stone, which they brought with them. Megalithic structures, such as stone circles and passage tombs, were also constructed by these people.

• Flint Mace Head (3,300-2,800 BCE)
  • Brú na Bóinne is an archaeological complex located in County Meath, Ireland, that contains some of the most important prehistoric megalithic sites in Europe. The complex, which is also known as the Bend of the Boyne, includes the passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, as well as several other smaller tombs and standing stones. These sites date back to around 3200 BCE, making them older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.

Bronze Age (c. 2500-500 BCE): Was the time when metalworking techniques were first introduced to Ireland. Tools and weapons were forged out of bronze, and the first centres for the fabrication of metal were established. Cremation and the building of cairns and barrows were two new burial practices that emerged around the same time as other burial customs.

• Coggalbeg Gold Hoard (2300-2000 BCE)
• Tara Torcs (1200 BCE)
• Castlederg Bronze Cauldron (700-600 BCE)
  • FYI: Drombeg Stone Circle: Excavations at the site have revealed that the stone circle was active around 1100-800 BCE.

Iron Age (c. 500 BCE-400 CE):  Ironworking techniques were first introduced to Ireland. Iron was worked into implements and weapons, and the first centres for the trade were established around this time. Alterations were also made to the manner in which the dead were buried, such as the practice of inhumation and the building of ringforts.

• Broighter Boat (100 BCE)
• Armlet, Old Croghan Man (362-175 BCE)

Early Medieval (c. 400-1100 CE): Christianity was brought to Ireland during this time period. The first written records were created at the same time as the establishment of monasteries. The establishment of cemeteries and the building of high crosses both brought about shifts in the burial practices that were followed.

• Corleck Head (1st or 2nd century CE)
• Ogham Stones (4th and 6th century CE)
• Mullaghmast Stone (500-600 CE)
• St. Patrick’s Bell (7th century CE)
• St. Patrick’s Bell’s Shrine (7th century CE)
• Rinnagan Crucifixion Plaque (8th/9th century CE)
• Breac Maodhóg (reliquary) (late 11th-century CE)
  • FYI: Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 CE and made it his capital. The majority of buildings on the current Rock of Cashel site date from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Late Medieval (c. 1100-1500 CE): In Ireland, the first towns and cities were founded during the Late Medieval period.. During this time, business and commerce flourished, and the construction of the first castles began. The construction of tower houses and the establishment of churchyards both brought about shifts in the burial practices that were followed.

• • Barryscourt Castle was built between 1392 and 1420 during the reign of 7 th Lord Barry, John Ciotach Barry.

Early Modern (c. 1500-1800 CE): It was during this time that Ireland saw the founding of its first industrial sites. Rapid population growth coincided with the establishment of the very first factories. The development of graveyards and Georgian-style homes both contributed to shifts in traditional burial practices during this time period.

Modern (c. 1800-present): Ireland’s population continued to expand at a rapid rate. The beginnings of industrialization and urbanisation coincided with the execution of the very first archaeological surveys. The establishment of crematoriums and the building of modern structures both brought about shifts in traditional burial practices.

Sheela-na-gigs

“Sheela-na-gigs are carvings of female images depicted as posing in a manner which accentuates that most powerfully evocative symbol the vulva. They are primarily a sacred religious object that was erected on many churches of the medieval period, invariably placed in a very prominent position such as over the main entrance door or a window. . . . Sheela-na-gigs probably originate sometime in the early Christian era but the history of the tradition is hotly disputed. It is clear however that the use of the image spread widely after the 12th century reaching a zenith during the later medieval period. . . . The image of the goddess in her hag form occurs frequently in mythology and they are generally regarded as a grotesque, older woman possessed of supernatural powers. In the story of Da Derga’s Hostel, the hag curses the king who refuses her entry by, ‘standing on one leg with one hand held up in the air,’ a stance taken by a number of Sheela.”  (Roberts, Jack. The Sheela-na-gigs of Ireland: An Illustrated Map & Guide, Bandia Publishing, 2009.)

Newgrange, Boyne Valley