A signifi cant change in Neolithic Ireland was a new emphasis on building tombs for cremated remains and grave goods. There were three main types of megalithic (huge stone) tombs:
• Passage graves: As we saw in chapter 2, these were huge mounds built over a central passage, which led to a chamber for the dead.
• Court cairns: These had an open space (court) at the front and a chamber originally covered by a mound of stones (cairn) for the dead behind.
• Portal dolmens: Two or more standing stones and a huge capstone resting across the top with the remains placed inside.
A court cairn
The megaliths for these tombs would have been fl oated along rivers on rafts or rolled for miles on logs. Building these tombs would have taken hundreds of people. The Neolithic people clearly had knowledge of the stars and were skilled engineers.
A portal dolmen
Go to page 14 of your Sources and Skills Book for an evidence task.
CHECKPOINT!
1. What important change took in place in Ireland during the Neolithic period? 2. What foods were produced by Neolithic farmers? 3. Describe Neolithic houses and how these were different from Mesolithic houses. 4. Describe (a) a passage tomb; (b) a court cairn; (c) a portal dolmen. 5. Explain the following terms: wattle and daub; megaliths.
. I can describe life in Neolithic Ireland. 30 TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
