Archaeology
Archaeology Content
Humans have occupied Ireland for the past 10,000 years, leaving us with a rich legacy of archaeological monuments and landscapes. We work to conserve this unique archaeological heritage.
March 2008 Seminar
Click on the links below to view abstracts and presentations delivered at the seminar
The natural landscape history of Brú na Bóinne
Dr. Robert Meehan, consultant geologist
Many of the decisions for situating developments nowadays are controlled only by planning regulations. The location of houses, churches, schools, factories and so on are determined by land availability and planning controls. Not so in the past. Our ancestors read the landscape and chose important sites very carefully and deliberately. Proximity to water, to workable soils, to shelter in the landscape, were all important. When building ritual sites height and magnificence of vista mattered. Geology, geomorphology and archaeology are therefore inextricably intertwined.
The archaeological sites of Brú na Bóinne reflect the complex history of the people who lived in the area since the Neolithic period. It should be remembered that all of the sites on which these monuments occur were chosen as a result of their size, shape or position in the landscape. The nature of the critical landscape features in the area has a direct relationship to the prehistoric and historic human monuments, in that the geology and geomorphology (surface shape) helps and hinders in various ways the evolution of the human landscape.
The geological foundations of the Boyne Valley landscape span a period of 500 million years. The broad shape of the countryside emerged during the latter part of the Tertiary Period (2 - 60 million years ago) but the final touches were put to the emerging physical landscape during the ice ages of the past 1.5 - 2 million years, in particular the last great ice age which ended 10,000 years ago.
The talk will outline the macro-geological features of the Brú na Bóinne area, as well as the glacial features. The history of the study of the Ice Age landscape will be examined in detail, as well as the soils geology which is directly related to Ice Age features. The importance of these sites in a geological sense will be explored in some detail, as well as the related Conservation of this Geological Heritage. Throughout this, the impact on the human landscape in prehistoric times will be examined.
Download full presentation: The natural landscape history of Brú na Bóinne [PDF 3.1MB]
Dwelling among the monuments: new evidence of prehistoric settlement at Brú na Bóinne
Dr. Conor Brady, Dundalk Institute of Technology
Many of the monuments of Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath, have been intensively examined over the last century or so. This project took the landscape of the monuments as its starting point and using systematic surface collection survey examined the evidence for settlement and landuse over the wider area. The main aim of the survey was to collect lithics (flaked stone tools and debitage), most of which are flint, across the ploughed fields in the study area. Findspots were recorded and mapped and both the artifacts themselves and their distribution were analysed. The fieldwork has revealed a continuous blanket of lithics of varying density which indicates the patterned nature of landscape usage and its development over time. The densities recorded are very significant in an Irish context and are comparable to those recorded at other monumental landscape areas both in Ireland and Britain. Analysis of the composition of the field assemblages gave insights into the nature of the activities carried out at specific locations. The character of some key lithic scatters have already been examined using geophysical survey and some of these will form the focus of further work. This new data allows the exploration of an important and exciting aspect of this internationally significant monumental landscape.
Brú na Bóinne WHS is the centre of what?
Niall Roycroft, Archaeologist, National Roads Authority
Archaeological excavations commissioned by the National Roads Authority on 98km of the M1 and 62km of the M3 seem to show clear divisions of the broader landscape into territorial units. This is backed up by the Early Medieval territories of Connaille Mhuirthemne of North Louth and Brega of Meath-South Louth. How do these Early Medieval territories compare to prehistoric territories? The impression is there is a good degree of similarity.
By clarifying the territorial boundaries we can assess the different functions of the landscapes in terms of core and periphery; perhaps deducing a model of broad archaeological significance. In the middle of the ‘Brega’ is the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. If the Brú na Bóinne zone is in or near the core in the Prehistoric and Early Medieval periods, what is happening in the surrounding areas and how does the landscape develop through time?
Download full presentation: Brú na Bóinne WHS is the centre of what? [PDF 7.2MB]
The origin of the greywacke orthostats and kerbstones at Newgrange and Knowth, Brú na Bóinne
Mary Corcoran* and Prof. George Sevastopulo,Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin
A large proportion of the materials used in the construction and decoration of the passage tombs at Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange are exotic, in the sense that the rocks were not extracted from the local Carboniferous bedrock. The largest category of exotic rock is Lower Palaeozoic greywacke, from which most of the kerbstones and orthostats were made. Lower Palaeozoic rocks occur north and south of the Boyne Valley. They are arranged as a series of northeast-southwest striking, fault-bounded tracts, each of which has a distinctive stratigraphy with greywackes of differing provenance and thus mineralogy. A combination of visual identification (using a hand lens) of all orthostats and kerbstones, and petrographic (using a petrochemical microscope) and geochemical analysis (using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry) of a smaller subset sampled by drilling, was used to categorize the greywacke used in the passage tombs. Macroscopically, the orthostats and kerbstones appear most similar to greywackes of the Clogherhead tract, specifically those of the Clogherhead and Little Harbour formations. The latter are exposed on the coast at Clogherhead (16km northeast of the tombs) and inland at Piperstown (9km north of the tombs). Analysis of structural features (cleavage and jointing) and geochemical and petrographical analysis corroborate the conclusions from the macroscopic observations of lithology. The greywackes are more likely to have been obtained from the vicinity of Clogherhead than Piperstown.
*Deceased
Heritage in the Local Authority
Dr. Loreto Guinan, Heritage Officer, Meath Local Authorities and Anthony Corns, The Discovery Programme
The Heritage Officer Programme is a partnership arrangement between the Heritage Council and Local Authorities. In 2002, the employment of Heritage Officers became government policy with the publication of the National Heritage Plan. Heritage forms the core of our sense of national identity and has a major influence on our quality of life. The Heritage Act, 1995, defines national heritage as including monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, geology, heritage parks and gardens, and inland waterways. This paper will firstly outline the role of the Heritage Officer within local government and the preparation and implementation of the County Meath Heritage Plan 2007-2011.
Secondly, this paper will explore the collection of high resolution landscape data in Co. Meath using innovative airborne laser scanning technology. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a term that applies to a particular principle of operation, uses a pulsed laser beam from an aerial platform to build an accurate, high resolution topographic model of the ground and the cultural features within it. The potential of LiDAR for the interpretation and study of historic landscapes will be illustrated using data from the recently completed surveys of Brú Na Bóinne (Meath Local Authorities) and the Hill of Tara (Discovery Programme).
Download L. Guinan full presentation Heritage in the Local Authority [PDF 184KB]
Download A.Corns full presentation Heritage in the Local Authority [PDF 6.3MB]
Newgrange Cursus To The Passage Tomb: Seeing Beneath The Soil With
Geophysical Surveys
Kevin Barton, Landscape & Geophysical Services and Martina McCarthy, GeoArc Ltd.
This work, carried out in 1999 and 2000, was commissioned by Dúchas, The Heritage Service.
Magnetic mapping techniques show the inner area of the cursus to be geophysically featureless, except for a number of pits, to an estimated depth of 1m. Some east-west ground penetrating radar (GPR) transects indicate that there is an irregular surface below a depth of about 1m. GPR also indicates that the silted ditches could be up to 3m in depth. The external area to the south is relatively featureless. To the east and southeast, there is a relatively high density of subtle linear and curvi-linear features with a predominance of irregularly spaced pits to the southeast.
Magnetic gradiometry and susceptibility surveys show that the area to the west and southwest of the cursus contains a number of distinct elements composed of regularly spaced, double and single rows of pits and additional areas of significant susceptibility enhancement. The suggested main northwest – southeast element, some 90m in length, trends towards site Z and Newgrange passage tomb. The feature appears to terminate immediately to the east of the north-south fence that forms the boundary to the site of the passage tomb. Taking a wider view of the location and alignment of the feature it also appears to lie within the circumference of the arc of pits, postholes and burials excavated by O’Kelly and Sweetman.
A follow-up magnetic gradiometry survey to the southeast of Newgrange passage tomb was carried out in 2000 in an attempt to trace features and alignments identified from the 1999 surveys. The survey, which covered part of the area excavated by O’Kelly and Sweetman, did not reveal any extension to features previously identified. However, two new circular features and a possible arc were identified.
These results indicate that the area surrounding Newgrange passage tomb is geophysically prospective for possible archaeology that lies beneath the soil. Recent developments in geophysical instrument design and processing software make it possible to carry out higher spatial resolution surveys. The digital dataset presented here needs to be reviewed and reprocessed as an initial step in the further geophysical investigation of Newgrange passage tomb and its environs.
Ongoing Archaeological Investigations In The Boyne Valley
Joe Fenwick, Dept of Archaeology, NUI Galway, Dr. Richard Warner, Ulster Museum and Prof. George Eogan, Knowth Research Project
The Brugh na Bóinne Research Project has completed its fourth season of archaeological investigations on, and in the vicinity of a sub-rectangular earthwork situated on elevated ground overlooking the River Boyne near Rosnaree ford in the townland of Newgrange. This research builds on the knowledge and experience of previous research in the valley and is designed to investigate, through non-invasive means, a number of selected monuments and areas of archaeological potential within the confines of the World Heritage Site. In addition, this programme of research serves as a vehicle for teaching various electronic and geophysical survey techniques and its associated software to postgraduate students of archaeology at NUI Galway. The work has yielded remarkable results to date but as part of a larger, integrated, research agenda, has the potential to yield yet greater rewards in terms of a broader understanding of the development of this landscape and the nature of its enigmatic monuments.
Download Full Presentation: Ongoing Archaeological Investigations In The Boyne Valley [PDF 5.9MB]
Newgrange - a cult site of the later Iron Age
Raghnall Ó Floinn, National Museum of Ireland
This paper focuses on a re-examination of Iron Age and Roman finds which have been found at Newgrange from the seventeenth century onwards. This includes the material from Prof. O'Kelly's excavations at the site in the 1960s and 70s. Together, these represent the largest collection of Roman objects from a single site in Ireland. The nature and date of this material is reinterpreted and explained in the context of Romano-British cult centres.
Knowth Excavations: A Policy For Publication
Prof. George Eogan, Knowth Research Project
This paper will provide an overview of the publication policy resulting from excavations and other research undertaken at Knowth from 1962 to the early 2000s. This work uncovered extensive evidence for domestic and ritual activity, dating to both the prehistoric and the historic periods. As a result of the large amount of evidence uncovered, a comprehensive publication policy was required. Therefore, the many academic papers and books already published will be briefly mentioned, while the four volumes currently in progress will be discussed in more detail. The latter consists of Historic Knowth and its Hinterland; The Archaeology of Knowth during the First and Second Millennia AD; The Archaeology of the Main Mound (Tomb 1) and Megalithic Art at Knowth and its Context.
Download Full Presentation: Knowth Excavations: A Policy For Publication [PDF 1.9MB]
The zooarchaeology of Brú na Bóinne
Dr. Finbar McCormick, Dept of Archaeology & Palaeoecology, QUB
Excavations on Boyne Valley sites have provided crucial information about the relationship between humans and animals in Early Ireland’s past. The Beaker settlement at Newgrange provided the largest animal bone assemblage from a prehistoric site. Because of the virtual absence of animal bones from Neolithic sites this group provides us with the earliest detailed evidence for livestock farming in Ireland. Nearly three thousand years later Knowth provided a large sample of animal bone that is crucial to our understanding of the changing livestock economies of the Early Christian Period. The changes noted in the faunal evidence reflect major changes that were occurring in the settlement pattern of the time.
Download Full Presentation: The zooarchaeology of Brú na Bóinne [PDF 2.5MB]
Excavation of a Mdieval Secular Cemetery at Knowth Site M
Dr. Geraldine Stout, Archaeological Survey of Ireland, DoEHLG
Knowth Site M is the most extensive earthwork complex within the area designated as the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. It is located immediately northeast and down slope of Knowth Passage Tomb cemetery. This paper will firstly, present the various interpretations of this enigmatic complex prior to excavation; secondly, summarize the results of three seasons of excavation (2002-4) and thirdly, discuss the significance of the findings in the context of the Bend of the Boyne and the northeast.
The large enclosure (Site M) is associated with a series of low earthworks discovered through aerial reconnaissance. Ó Ríordáin and Daniel published the first aerial photograph of the complex in 1964 that interpreted it as a possible henge monument. The complex was further highlighted by Clare O’Kelly in 1967 in her illustrated guide to monuments in the Bend of the Boyne. O’Kelly presented an alternative interpretation drawing comparisons with the remains of a medieval village at Hurcle near Mellifont, County Louth. Subsequently, in 1987 Moore described the complex as a large enclosure with a contemporary field system overlying an earlier enclosure. Recent aerial photography has revealed further evidence of multi-period activity at the site.
Despite extensive historical and morphological examination it was not possible to classify this earthwork complex on the basis of its morphology. It was, therefore, decided to excavate the site in order to determine its date and function. Three seasons of archaeological excavation between 2002 and 2004 revealed a cemetery enclosed by two sub-circular ditches of seventh to tenth-century date and a later, upstanding external earthwork also constructed in the Early Medieval period.
Knowth Site M is a classic example of an enclosed medieval secular cemetery where limited domestic and agricultural activity took place. Finds from the site indicate that this was a cemetery of high status individuals interred between the seventh and tenth centuries. This was the same period when nearby Knowth passage tomb was a royal residence. The discovery of burials and associated enclosures at Knowth Site M have many similarities with other enclosed cemeteries in the north-east that have no ecclesiastical remains.
Download Full Presentation: Excavation of a Mdieval Secular Cemetery at Knowth Site M [PDF 10MB]
An Archaeological Study of the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge, Co. Meath
Dr. Conor Brady, Dundalk Institute of Technology
This paper outlines the results of a pilot archaeological study carried out on the Oldbridge Estate, Co. Meath, in advance of its development as a centre commemorating and presenting the events of the Battle of the Boyne, fought by the forces of King William III and James II on 1st July 1690. Archival research including the examination of museum collections, cartographic sources, contemporary artistic depictions of the battle and recent aerial photographic coverages was followed up by the use of a range of archaeological techniques including systematic surface collection survey, soil phosphate analysis, magnetic gradiometry, metal detecting and limited test excavation. Additionally, marine geophysics equipment was used to profile the character of the River Boyne, especially in the area of the main crossings. The study revealed important new evidence including the establishment of the location of Oldbridge village, a pivotal feature in the conduct of the battle, the confirmation of the location of the first engagement on the day of the battle and the first systematically recovered artefacts from the battlefield.
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