(Note - Most sentences here are extracted from the Uncovering History Junior Cycle book Second edition, which is a common school history book. I recommend reading this book for more insight on these topics.)
-There is no evidence that people lived in Ireland before 7000BC.
-Oldest sign of settlement: Round shaped huts at Mount Sandal, Co. Derry.
-Although the huts had disappeared, archaeologists discovered the shape of the original huts by studying a pattern of holes left in the ground where the up-right post once stood. These holes are called post-holes.
-First settlers most likely came from Scotland or Wales.
-These travellers most likely came in dugout canoes or small tub-like boats.
-First settlers lived in circular huts.
-Frame of the hut was built from saplings which could be easily be bent in shape.
-The frame was then covered with animal skins or rushes.
-A hearth (fireplace) was placed in the middle of the hut.
-Middens (kitchen waste) were discovered next to these huts.
-Tools were made from small stones and pieces of flint, these were called microlits.
-Sharp stones were set into pieces of wood to make axes, spears and arrows.
-Clothes were made from animal skins.
-Flat stones called scrapers were used to clean the skin of the clothes.
-No evidence is provided to prove the settlers grew crops.
-They survived as hunter-gatherers.
-Hunter-gatherers hunted birds and wild boars, caught fish and gathered berries and nuts from brushes and tress.
-Early settlers changed camp regularly in search of new food and supplies.
The Neolithic Period
People In History / The Neolithic Farmer
-Neolithic Farmers usually grew crops and kept animals, other than hunter-gatherers.
-Did not move as often as the first settlers.
-They divided land into separate fields, surrounding them with stone walls.
-Neolithic Farmers - More skilled, made better tools.
-Tools were made from polished stone, which was stronger and sharper.
-Prepared land by grazing it with mattocks (wooden ploughs)
-They grew wheat and barley.
-They placed s small amount of grain at a time into a large stone and used a smaller round stone known as a quern to grind it.
-Farmers made clothes from animal skin and sheep's wool.
-Spinning and weaving became a thing.
-Dyes were used to add colour to the wool.
-Built strong and longer-lasting houses.
-Farms were situated on high ground because the soil was lighter and easier to plough.
-Houses: made from a mixture of wood and stone, depending on what materials were available.
-Houses were usually rectangular in shape.
-The walls of the house were built by placing thick posts in the ground and weaving branches in between them, this is known as Wattle and Daub. (mixture of mud and straw)
-The roof was made of straw and rushes.
-Cooking was done around a fireplace in the middle of the floor in thehouse.
-A small hole at the top of the house acted as a chimney
-Food were stored in clay pots.
Burial Tombs
-The first farmers believed in afterlife.
-Death was marked by building large stone tombs know as megaliths.
Dolmen
-Dolmen: Consists of three standing stone on which a large capstone is placed.
-It is likely that the capstone was moved by placing logs under the large stones and dragging them along.
-It probably took many men and many years to make such tombs.
-The remains were then placed under the dolmen.
-Grave goods such as food, jewellery and pottery were often placed alongside the remains.
-A mound of earth then covered the dolmen.
Court Cairn
-Court Cairns get their name from a small entrance area which lies at the entrance of the burial chamber.
-The chamber is built from standing stones covered by earth.
Passage Grave
-There are over 300 passage graves in Ireland
-Example: Newgrange
-Newgrange is 5000 years old, which makes it more old than the pyramids in Egypt.
-On the 21st of December every year, the sun lights up the passage. This is the shortest day of the year.
-Passage graves are built by placing each layer of stone slab slightly sticking out.
The Bronze Age
2000BC: Bronze (A mixture of Tin and Copper) was beginning to be used.
-Bronze could be beaten into various shapes or melted and poured into clay mounds to produce stronger tools, weapons or household goods.
-Sickle: (Used to cut grass and crops) became a common farm tool.
-Gold objects were also made in Ireland.
-Lunalae: Bronze age necklace made from gold.
Cist Graves / Wedge Tombs
-Bronze age people were usually buried in Cist Graves or Wedge Tombs.
-Cist Grave: A shallow pit lined with stone slabs and covered with a large flat stone.
-Bodies were often placed into the grave in the fetal position.
-Small decorated pots were often left inside containing food.
-Wedge Tombs: Built above the ground.
-Made from stone slabs and were low and narrow at the back and higher and wider at the front.
-Slabs were then covered in earth.
Stone Circles
-Stone circles: Built by placing large upright stones into the ground.
-May have been used as a place of worship.
-May have served as a calendar for farmers.
Fulachta Fiadh
-Fulachta Fiadh: Small cuboid-shaped hole usually situated near rivers filled with boiled water used to cook food.
-Water was first boiled at a nearby fire and poured into the Fulachta Fiadh.
-Meat was then wrapped in straw and placed above the Fulachta Fiadh.
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Keywords:
Hunter-Gatherers: Early Irish settlers that did not know the skills of farming and survived by hunting wild animals and gathering berries and nuts.
Midden: A heap of kitchen waste.
Quern: A stone that was used to grind grain.
Wattle and Daub: A mixture of Mud and Straw placed on the frame of a house.
Post-Hole: Holes in the ground where up-right poles for houses once stood.
Megalithic Tomb: A large burial tomb made from stones.
Dolmen: An ancient burial site consisting of three standing stones and one capstone placed on top.
Court cairn: A burial chamber with two rooms.
Passage grave: A burial chamber with a long passageway. Example - Newgrange.
Lunala: A gold necklace from the bronze age.
Fulacht Fiadh: A water-filled trough used for cooking during the bronze age.
-The roof was made of straw and rushes.
-Cooking was done around a fireplace in the middle of the floor in thehouse.
-A small hole at the top of the house acted as a chimney
-Food were stored in clay pots.
Burial Tombs
-The first farmers believed in afterlife.
-Death was marked by building large stone tombs know as megaliths.
Dolmen
-Dolmen: Consists of three standing stone on which a large capstone is placed.
-It is likely that the capstone was moved by placing logs under the large stones and dragging them along.
-It probably took many men and many years to make such tombs.
-The remains were then placed under the dolmen.
-Grave goods such as food, jewellery and pottery were often placed alongside the remains.
-A mound of earth then covered the dolmen.
Court Cairn
-Court Cairns get their name from a small entrance area which lies at the entrance of the burial chamber.
-The chamber is built from standing stones covered by earth.
Passage Grave
-There are over 300 passage graves in Ireland
-Example: Newgrange
-Newgrange is 5000 years old, which makes it more old than the pyramids in Egypt.
-On the 21st of December every year, the sun lights up the passage. This is the shortest day of the year.
-Passage graves are built by placing each layer of stone slab slightly sticking out.
The Bronze Age
2000BC: Bronze (A mixture of Tin and Copper) was beginning to be used.
-Bronze could be beaten into various shapes or melted and poured into clay mounds to produce stronger tools, weapons or household goods.
-Sickle: (Used to cut grass and crops) became a common farm tool.
-Gold objects were also made in Ireland.
-Lunalae: Bronze age necklace made from gold.
Cist Graves / Wedge Tombs
-Bronze age people were usually buried in Cist Graves or Wedge Tombs.
-Cist Grave: A shallow pit lined with stone slabs and covered with a large flat stone.
-Bodies were often placed into the grave in the fetal position.
-Small decorated pots were often left inside containing food.
-Wedge Tombs: Built above the ground.
-Made from stone slabs and were low and narrow at the back and higher and wider at the front.
-Slabs were then covered in earth.
Stone Circles
-Stone circles: Built by placing large upright stones into the ground.
-May have been used as a place of worship.
-May have served as a calendar for farmers.
Fulachta Fiadh
-Fulachta Fiadh: Small cuboid-shaped hole usually situated near rivers filled with boiled water used to cook food.
-Water was first boiled at a nearby fire and poured into the Fulachta Fiadh.
-Meat was then wrapped in straw and placed above the Fulachta Fiadh.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keywords:
Hunter-Gatherers: Early Irish settlers that did not know the skills of farming and survived by hunting wild animals and gathering berries and nuts.
Midden: A heap of kitchen waste.
Quern: A stone that was used to grind grain.
Wattle and Daub: A mixture of Mud and Straw placed on the frame of a house.
Post-Hole: Holes in the ground where up-right poles for houses once stood.
Megalithic Tomb: A large burial tomb made from stones.
Dolmen: An ancient burial site consisting of three standing stones and one capstone placed on top.
Court cairn: A burial chamber with two rooms.
Passage grave: A burial chamber with a long passageway. Example - Newgrange.
Lunala: A gold necklace from the bronze age.
Fulacht Fiadh: A water-filled trough used for cooking during the bronze age.
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