heaps consisting of the bones and shells of food eaten. Middens tend to be located near water, which was used for drinking, cooking, food supply and transport. Middens may also be located along hilltops which were used for defence. People at the time used stone weapons and tools such as flint spearheads.


GEO DICTIONARY


Prehistoric: relates to a period before written records; or, in this context, it means primitive or basic


Flint: a hard grey rock consisting of nearly pure silica Civilisation: stage of human development and organisation


Neolithic: 3500–2000 BCE


The Neolithic people were Ireland’s first farmers, and also the first civilisation to leave evidence of their lives behind. At this time, the people of Ireland began clearing the country’s vast deciduous forests in order to make room for farming. No longer nomadic, the farmers settled in one place and began growing crops and farming animals. Their houses were constructed with wattle and daub; therefore, these dwellings have not survived to today. Neolithic people chose low-lying land that was close to a river to build their settlements. Rivers provided fertile alluvial soils and good drainage.


The main evidence of Neolithic civilisation found in Ireland today is burial tombs. Evidence includes megalithic tombs, passage tombs, portal dolmens and standing stones. These are typically found in upland or hilly areas – presumably a place of honour to remember the dead. Many of these tombs have markings or carvings, while many others were aligned with the sun, e.g. Newgrange has an inner chamber that is lit up by the sun on the shortest day of each year, the winter solstice. This shows Neolithic knowledge of the position of the sun, awareness of seasons, and a greater level of engineering than Mesolithic ancestors.


Bronze Age: 2000–600 BCE


Bronze Age settlers moved from using stone tools and weapons to metals such as copper and tin. Evidence of their settlement can be found in Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork where there is an ancient copper mine. Most Bronze Age settlements appear to have been built next to their resources, e.g. tombs were built alongside copper mines. As copper is a soft metal, it was mixed


: Fig. 4.3 Newgrange shows great engineering ability.


( Fig. 4.4 Gleninsheen Gorget (bronze) from 800–700 BCE


SETTLEMENT 97


OS map evidence: Note! • Middens


Note!


OS map evidence: • Megalithic tombs • Passage tombs • Portal dolmens • Standing stones


OS map evidence: • Copper • Wedge tombs • Stone chambers • Small burrows • Earthworks


Note!


A


Z


Elective 5: Human CHAPTER 4


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