AR1001 Slide Test

How did stone industries change between the early and late Mesolithic?

Early Mesolithic (7800-6000BC): narrow-bladed stone industries

Late Mesolithic (6000-4000): broad-bladed stone industries

flint core axes (early Meso)

creation of a striking platform (Meso)

Meso

1. Core tool

2. Flake tool

Meso flint blade with butt-trimming and edge flaking

Meso ground stone axehead

early Meso microliths (scalene triangles, rods, points)

North wall Quay, Dublin,
Mesolithic fish traps 6100−5700 BC

Culleenamore, Co. Sligo: Meso shell midden

Mt. Sandel, Co. Derry: Early Mesolithic
base camp dating to 7700–7500 BC

Mt. Sandel, Co. Derry: Early Mesolithic
base camp dating to 7700–7500 BC

Starr Carr (Yorkshire): Mesolithic lakeside settlement ca. 9000 BC, extensive lakeside platform

Starr Carr headresses: shamans/ hunting gear (?)

Iron Gates Gorge: 9500-5500 BC, fishing/hunting/gathering community, trapezoidal huts with fish “idols”

(Neo) Ceide fields, Co. Mayo: field walls (pre-bog)

Neo polished stone axeheads

Neo stone axe roughouts for producing polished stone axeheads

use of Neo polished stone axes (hafted): woodland clearance

The Malone hoard: porcellanite Neo polished axes,

Tievebulliagh and Rathlin Island axe factories in Co. Antrim

Neo round flaked flint scrapers

Knowth Macehead (Neo): craft specialization, exchange of prestige goods

Grimes Graves, Norfolk: Neo flint mine

pressure flaking (Neo stone tools)

(Neo) Gobekli Tepe:ca. 9500BC, large carved pilllars, no settlement activity , ceremonial/feasting site (?)

(Neo) Gobekli Tepe pillars: Humans, wild animals and
hunting, fox, crane, vultures, scorpions

Impressed Pottery (Impressed Ware-Cardial Complex or ICC) Mediterranean early Neo 6100-6000BC

Hallberstadt LBK (Neo) massacre site 5000BC: non-local, mostly males, conflict

(Neo) hand modelling pottery technique (pinch pot)

(Neo) coil building pottery technique

Neo funerary pottery

Neo grooved ware pottery 2800-2500BC

beaker pottery

beaker pottery sherds

Bronze Age (BA) funerary pottery in context

Poulnabrone, Co. Clare, 3640−2900 BC: portal tomb

6,509 identifiable bones / fragments from local individuals, impact wounds

Creevykeel, Co. Sligo: court tomb

passage tombs

passage tomb chambers

Carrowmore, Co. Sligo: passage tomb cemetery, bone and antler pins, Radiocarbon dates start at 3775BC

Loughcrew, Co. Meath: passage tomb cemetery

Loughcrew Cairn T: rock art

Knowth passage tomb cemetery: two chambers (E + W), 18 satellite tombs

Knowth passage tomb art

Newgrange passage tomb mound: ca. 3200-3100 BC, SE entrance

Newgrange entrance kerbstone

Newgrange chamber corbelled roof

Late Neo earthen henges/enclosures:

Late Neo (3000-2500BC) timber pit circles

Stonehenge (Late Neo stone circle)

wedge tomb (Chalc.): SW orientation, trapezoidal ground plan

Toormore wedge tomb: entrance pit fills, early bronze working, quartz pebbles

Beaker pottery (decoration with rope)

Beaker culture arrowheads

Beaker culture archers’ wristguards

burial of the Amesbury Archer: gold hair ornaments, copper daggers, flint arrowheads, beaker pots

Fire setting for copper ore extraction

underground mining, hand cobbing copper ore

(Early BA) Ross Island beaker copper mines: ca. 2400-1900BC, stone hammers and bone scoops

Ross Island copper mine

open moulds for metal casting (early copper/bronze technology)

closed moulds for metal casting

copper smelting

(Middle BA) Mt. Gabriel: sedimentary copper bed mining,

1800-1400BC

(Midde BA) Mt. Gabriel, Mizen peninsula: wooden mining tools, stone hammers for hand cobbing

Late BA cauldrons: joining with rivets

flat copper axeheads 2400-2100BC

flanged bronze axehead 1700-1500BC

socketed bronze axeheads 1200-700BC

Toormore wedge tomb axehead: votive deposit (dual symbolism of the axe)

BA daggers:

Copper tanged examples used 2400 - 2100 BC
Bronze riveted examples used 2100 - 1200 BC
Bronze socketed examples used after 1200 BC

Copper Age and early BA halberds: weapons (?) decorative symbols of birds

Middle BA rapiers 1500-1300BC

Late BA swords (and scabbard) 1000BC

Late BA leather shields, 1000BC: wooden mould used, leather is better at absorbing shock than metal

Late BA bronze shields, the Lough Gur shield at the bottom, decorative/status symbol(?)

BA spearhead evolution:

1. mould

2. side-looped

3. leaf-shaped

4. leaf-shaped

5. basial looped, socketed

6. blade-looped

7. socketed

8. blade-looped, kite-shaped, riveted

early gold metalwork in Ireland, 2300-1900BC

gold discs in Chalc./early BA Ireland 2300-1900BC: solar imagery

early BA Lunulae 2200-1900BC, solar boat

Mound of Hostages,Hill of Tara: Neolithic passage tomb with early BA cemetery, Tara Boy burial: vaulable grave goods, amber/faience/jet/bronze beads

BA pre-bog timber trackways

Lough Gur, Co. Limerick: settlement from Neo through BA and into Iron Age,

Moynaugh Lough, Co. Meath: early-late BA occupation

BA enclosed settlement

fullacht fiadh: plank-built trough,

Drombeg, Co. Cork: stone circle and huts next to fulacht fiadh, suggestion of ceremonial feasting, troughs used for cooking meat

Dun Aengus, Aran Islands: promontory fort, late BA

late BA hillforts:

CLASS 1: univallate

CLASS 2: multivallate

faience beads

late BA Swedish rock art

late BA gold lock rings

Langdon Bay, Dover: 360 tools from shipwreck

Late BA jet beads, jet bead necklaces: fossilized wood, sourced from Whitby, Yorkshire

U and V notched shields: external influence on middle and late BA metalworking in Ireland

Hallstatt, Austrian Alps: c. 1000 excavated graves, 750-400 BC, very wealthy society, close proximity to salt mine (organic preservation)

La Tene decoration, type-site for Iron Age metalwork, curvilinear patterns, Greek and etruscan plant motifs

Gundestrup cauldron, 2nd-1st century BC, Denmark, religious scenes

Early IA swords

Drumlane iron cauldron, Co. Cavan

Early IA iron smelting furnaces

1. pit furnace

2. shaft furnace