Neolithic IrelandDeath and Burial

Lesson Objectives To examine the various types of burial

sites used during Neolithic times. Videos will be used to bring the students

closer to the actual burial sites. Questions will be posed to students

based on the various sites.

Megaliths• There is an abundance of evidence in

Ireland which shows that the Neolithic farmers believed in an afterlife.

• Deaths were marked by elaborate stone tombs, many of which were remarkably large.

• Many such tombs survive today…

Dolmens The term dolmen means stone table and

comes from the Breton words dual (table) and maen (stone).

Dolmens are the most numerous of the megalithic tombs in Ireland.

The dolmen consists of three standing stones on which a huge capstone was placed.

How do you think these massive stones were transported?

Contd…

It is believed that these huge stones were moved by placing logs under the large stones and dragging them along like so…

The most well known dolmen sites in Ireland are Kilclooney (Donegal), Aughnacliffe (Longford) and Brownshill Dolmen in Carlow…

Here is Brownshill dolmen…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObwLEOiH51M

Court Cairn• A second type of megalithic tomb is the

court cairn.• They obtain their name from a small

entrance area, or court, which lies at the entrance of the chamber.

• They are found mostly in northern and western Ireland.

Contd… Court cairns had two main functions: the

chamber to serve as a tomb and the courtyard to accommodate a ritual.

Objects were often buried with the deceased.

Why was this done so?

The most famous court cairn in Ireland is that found in Creevkeel, Sligo…

Here is what the court cairn looks like in person…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD9sSvNrfIA

Passage Grave Arguably the most impressive type of

megalithic Irish tomb is the passage grave. It gets its name from a long passageway,

which leads from the entrance to the burial chamber.

There are over 300 such graves in the country.

The most famous passage grave by far is Newgrange in County Meath.

Newgrange The Newgrange tomb was constructed

about 5,000 years ago. The tomb outdates the pyramids in

Egypt by about 500 years. Newgrange shows us that Neolithic

people in Ireland were skilled individuals.

Its most interesting feature is the roof box.

Contd… This opening above the main entrance

allows the sunlight to travel along the passage.

This in turn lights up the burial chamber at dawn on 21 December each year.

What significance does this date have in the calendar?

Clip from a Newgrange documentary…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVXWZkwV0RQ

Pair work

What does the existence of these burial sites tell you about the Neolithic farmers in Ireland?