1. Describe the lives of people who lived in Mesolithic Ireland. 2. Why were these people nomadic? 3. How were people’s lives affected by the introduction of farming? 4. What evidence is there that the Neolithic people were (a) highly organised; (b) skilled engineers; (c) religious?
5. Is there any evidence of confl ict in Bronze Age Ireland? 6. Why do you think graves became smaller in the Bronze Age? 7. Why was the arrival of the Celts so important for Irish history? 8. What evidence is there of confl ict in Celtic Ireland?
Exploring History
1. Write a paragraph on how the following changed across the eras of ancient Ireland: • Food
• Tools and weapons • Burials • Houses • Work
2. How have the archaeologists’ skills you learned about helped us to understand the lives of people in ancient Ireland? Give three examples.
KEY TERMS Nomadic
Wattle and daub
Megalith Smelting
people who regularly move from place to place Grave goods valuable items buried with a body
wooden sticks woven together like a basket (wattle) and covered with a mud paste (daub), used to make walls of houses
‘huge stone’ melting metal at a high temperature to separate it from the ore
Go to page 12 of your Sources and Skills Book for more exercises.
Go to page 4 of your Research Portfolio for a task based on this chapter.
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3 Settlement in Ireland Option One: Ancient Ireland
