ANCIENT IRELANDANCIENT IRELAND

11stst Year History Year History

The Mesolithic Period (middle The Mesolithic Period (middle Stone Age 7000 BC).Stone Age 7000 BC).

First settlersFirst settlers Evidence:Evidence: Mount SandalMount Sandal in in

Derry.Derry. Houses:Houses: circular, wooden frame circular, wooden frame

tied at top, covered with hides tied at top, covered with hides grass or bushes.grass or bushes.

Food:Food: nomadic hunter-gatherers nomadic hunter-gatherers (wild boar, duck, deer, fish, (wild boar, duck, deer, fish, berries). Cooked on a berries). Cooked on a spit.spit.

Clothes:Clothes: hides cleaned with hides cleaned with stone scrapers and sewn stone scrapers and sewn together with bone needles.together with bone needles.

Tools and Weapons: Tools and Weapons: flint stone, flint stone, axes, spears, knives and axes, spears, knives and scrapers.scrapers.

The Mesolithic PeriodThe Mesolithic Period

Food:Food: nomadic hunter- nomadic hunter-gatherers (wild boar, gatherers (wild boar, duck, deer, fish, berries). duck, deer, fish, berries). Cooked on a Cooked on a spit.spit.

Clothes:Clothes: hides cleaned hides cleaned with stone scrapers and with stone scrapers and sewn together with bone sewn together with bone needles.needles.

Tools and Weapons: Tools and Weapons: flint stone, axes, spears, flint stone, axes, spears, knives and scrapers.knives and scrapers.

The Neolithic Period (new The Neolithic Period (new Stone Age 4000 BC).Stone Age 4000 BC).

First farmers arrived by dugout canoe.First farmers arrived by dugout canoe. Evidence:Evidence: Lough GurLough Gur in Limerick, in Limerick, Ceide Ceide

FieldsFields in Mayo and the in Mayo and the Boyne ValleyBoyne Valley.. Houses:Houses: rectangular, posts, wattle and rectangular, posts, wattle and

daub, thatched roof, hearth inside and hole daub, thatched roof, hearth inside and hole for chimney in roof.for chimney in roof.

Food:Food: farming and hunting and gathering. farming and hunting and gathering. Farm animals were cattle, pigs, sheep and Farm animals were cattle, pigs, sheep and

goats.goats. MattockMattock and and woodenwooden ploughplough in light in light

upland soil to grow wheat and barley.upland soil to grow wheat and barley. Grain ground on a Grain ground on a saddle-stone.saddle-stone. Food cooked on a Food cooked on a spit.spit. Clothes: Clothes: same as Mesolithic.same as Mesolithic. Tools and weapons:Tools and weapons: flint stone, axes, flint stone, axes,

spears, knives and scrapers. Now they are spears, knives and scrapers. Now they are polished. Pottery is used for storing food polished. Pottery is used for storing food and in burials.and in burials.

Burial Customs and Religion.Burial Customs and Religion.

Megaliths. Megaliths. Usually cremated and Usually cremated and ashes put in pots inside the ashes put in pots inside the following:following:

Court CairnsCourt Cairns (northern half, A (northern half, A shaped, court for ceremonies, all shaped, court for ceremonies, all covered in stones). covered in stones).

Portal DolmensPortal Dolmens (covered in (covered in stones, how did they lift stones, how did they lift capstone).capstone).

Passage TombsPassage Tombs (Newgrange, (Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth). Cross Knowth and Dowth). Cross shaped, 80 metres in diameter shaped, 80 metres in diameter (Newgrange), corbelled roof, (Newgrange), corbelled roof, carved kerbstones, entrance carved kerbstones, entrance stone, roof box.stone, roof box.

The Bronze Age (2000 BC).The Bronze Age (2000 BC).

CopperCopper Mount Gabriel in Cork. Mount Gabriel in Cork. TinTin Cornwall. Cornwall.

How did they get copper from How did they get copper from rock?rock?

Houses:Houses: circular, posts, wattle circular, posts, wattle and daub, thatch, hearth inside and daub, thatch, hearth inside and hole in roof. Ditch and fence and hole in roof. Ditch and fence around houses.around houses.

Food:Food: same as Neolithic but same as Neolithic but fulachta fiadhfulachta fiadh used as well as used as well as spits and copper cauldrons.spits and copper cauldrons.

Tools and weapons: Tools and weapons: bronze, bronze, sickles, spades axes, spears, sickles, spades axes, spears, swords.swords.

The Bronze Age (2000 BC).The Bronze Age (2000 BC).

Food:Food: same as Neolithic but same as Neolithic but

fulachta fiadhfulachta fiadh used used as well as spits and as well as spits and copper cauldronscopper cauldrons