Prehistoric Ireland and Europe

Course Description

This module is an introduction to the prehistoric communities who inhabited Ireland and Europe and to theories among archaeologists about them. Archaeologists divide this long period of time into the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Bronze Age. We begin with the earliest modern human inhabitants of Europe, their hunter-gatherer way of life, their art and their relationship to the Neanderthal communities who preceded them. We look at evidence for the first hunter-gatherers who settled in Ireland and later the settlements and rituals of the first communities to develop agriculture including their megalithic tombs. We move on to examine changes in how these communities organised themselves and their rituals over thousands of years including their adoption of bronze metalworking. The course ends with a look at the history of the study of prehistory and the significance of prehistoric sites in contemporary society.

Core Texts

• Waddell, J. 2000. The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. Wordwell: Bray.

Additional reading will be recommended in class or posted on Blackboard.