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Summary: Ice Age to Neolithic Age |
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Summary: Ice Age to Neolithic Age |
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The Ice Age The Ice Age in Ireland lasted from 30,000 years ago to approximately 14,000 years ago. During that time sea levels dropped and Ireland was joined to Britain and mainland Europe. The ice sheet came from the north-east and covered most of Ireland. When the ice finally melted it left a scoured landscape of rounded mountains with deep rounded valleys and lowlands covered with drift material. Vegetation and animals came across the land bridge and began to colonise Ireland. As the ice across the rest of Europe and the world continued to melt, sea levels rose by up to 50 metres, to the level that they are now, turning Ireland back into an island again. The land itself, depressed by the weight of the ice, also began to rise and this rise is continuing to this day, albeit at a slow rate of roughly 2mm per year. |
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The first humans in Ireland crossed in wooden boats from Scotland to what is now county Antrim around 8000BC. This made it one of the last places in Europe to be settled by humans. These Mesolithic settlers were hunter/gatherers and dwelt mainly on the shores of lakes, rivers or the sea. They lived in skin huts which they packed up and moved with them. Using flint tools mined in north-east Ireland, the Mesolithic settlers hunted animals, birds and fish with spears, harpoons and bows-and-arrows. The population of Ireland was low at this time, and the interior of the island remained forested with practically no human influence. |
The Neolithic age was characterised by the invention of farming, as well as the use of porcellanite - a more effective cutting stone than flint. The Mesolithic residents of Ireland did not invent this Neolithic technology. Instead, they were assimilated by new Neolithic settlers who arrived from Britain bringing these new technologies. This process began to happen around 4000BC and took several hundred years. They set about clearing upland forest (which was easier to fell) to set out their farms. They also introduced grain crops, cattle, sheep and goats to Ireland. Because they were living on permanent farms, the Neolithic farmers were able to build larger houses, made from wood and thatched with reeds. They also made simple coiled-clay pots which they fired in kilns. These Neolithic farmers are most famous for the megaliths (large stone and earthen tombs) that they constructed across Ireland. These are not unique to Ireland, being found also in Spain, Portugal, France, Denmark and Britain. Most megaliths are found in the north of Ireland, and there are three distinct types. Court tombs consist of a stone chamber covered in earth with a courtyard in front of it. Portal tombs, or dolmens, consist of three or more vertical stones with a large capstone on top. Passage tombs consist of a stone passage into the centre of a large earthen mound. The most famous passage tombs in Ireland are Newgrange and Knowth. While definitely used for burials, there is evidence that the megaliths also had other uses, eg religious or political functions. The Neolithic era ended around 2000BC. |
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Bronze Age