Chapter 2: Ancient Ireland

Question 0

What is the oldest settlement to be found in Ireland so far?

Answer 0

Mount Sandel, Co. Derry, the foundations of round-shaped huts were found there, they were found to be from 7000BC by carbon dating hazelnut shells

Question 1

When did people arrive in Ireland and in what Age?

Answer 1

7000BC in the Middle Stone Age

Question 2

From where and how did people come to Ireland from the first time, and where did they settle and why?

Answer 2

People came from Scotland and Whales in dugouts and they settled of the coast and on banks of rivers because Ireland was covered in a very dense forest at the time.

Question 3

What were the first settlers called and why?

Answer 3

Hunter-gatherers because the hunted animals like birds, wild boar and fish, and gathered nuts and berries.

Question 4

Describe their houses.

Answer 4

They were built from saplings which were bent into a round shape, and covered in animal skins. There was a hearth at the centre of the hut and a midden next to them.

Question 5

Explain how they made their clothes.

Answer 5

1. The skin was removed from the animal
2. It was pinned to the ground and cleaned using as tone scraper.
3. Holes were punched in the skin
4. The skins were stitched together with bone needles.

Question 6

Why did hunter-gatherers move from place to place?

Answer 6

They were in search of new food supplies

Question 8

What were their tools like?

Answer 8

Their tools were made from small stones and pieces of Flint called microliths. Sharp stones were set into pieces of wood to make axes, spears and arrows.

Question 9

How were Neolithic farmers different to the first settlers?

Answer 9

They grew crops, kept animals and did not move from place to place.

Question 10

How did the first farmers prepare the land for crops, what did they grow and how did they grind them?

Answer 10

The cut down trees with stone axes, removed them and turned the soil using mattock or wooden ploughs. They grew wheat and barley and ground them by placing small amount in a hollow in a large stone and then grinding them with a smaller round stone called a quern.

Question 11

What were their tools made from and how were they better?

Answer 11

They were made from polished stone which was stronger and sharper.

Question 12

Describe a Neolithic house.

Answer 12

They were larger than those of the first settler and rectangular in shape. The walls were made from upright posts placed in the ground and branches woven between then, know as wattle. Daub, a mixture of mud and straw was plastered in the wattle to keep out the wind and rain. The roof was made of mud and straw. Cooking was done around the hearth in the centre of the house, and a small hole in the roof acted as a chimney. Food was stored in clay pots.

Question 13

What does ‘megalith’ mean?

Answer 13

Huge: mega, stone: lithos

Question 14

Name and describe the three main megalithic tombs

Answer 14

Dolmen: consisted of three standing stones with a capstone on top. Name comes from two Breton words meaning stone table. The body was placed in the tomb along with grave goods such as food, pottery and jewellery. The dolmen was then covered in earth.
Court Cairn: they get their names from the small room, or court, at the entrance to the burial chamber. The chamber is built by standing stones covered by earth.
Passage Grave: these are the most impressive type of megalithic tomb. They are named after the long passage leading from the entrance to the burial chamber. Newgrange is a passage grave,

Question 15

When did bronze start to be used in Ireland?

Answer 15

Around 2000BC.

Question 16

What is bronze made of?

Answer 16

Tin and copper.

Question 17

How did bronze improve the lives of farmers?

Answer 17

It could be beaten into many shapes or poured into clay moulds to create stronger tools, weapons and household items.

Question 18

What farming implement began to be more commonly used during the Bronze Age?

Answer 18

The sickle.

Question 19

Where did a lot of the gold used in Ireland come from?

Answer 19

The stones in the rivers of Co. Waterford.

Question 20

What is a ‘lunula’

Answer 20

A half-moon shaped gold necklace worn in the Bronze Age

Question 21

Describe a cist grave and a wedge tomb:

Answer 21

Cist Grave: shallow pit lined with stone slabs and covered with a large flat stone. Bodies were either placed in a crouched position in the grave or cremated and the remains were placed in a large pot. Small decorated pots that contained food were out beside the body/remains.
Wedge Tomb: were built above the ground and made from stone slabs. They were low and narrow at the back and higher & wider at the front. The slabs were then covered in earth.

Question 22

Describe stone circles.

Answer 22

Stone circles were built in the Bronze Age by placing large upright stones into the ground. Most stone circles are in some way aligned to the sun, so they may have been some form of calendar, or a place of worship, but archaeologists are unsure of their use.

Question 23

How were fulachta fiadhs used?

Answer 23

Fulachta fiadhs were troughs dug into the ground and lined with stone of wood. The trough would be filled with water and then brought to a boil by placing stones that been heated in a nearby fire into it. The water could easily be kept at a boil by adding heated stones at regular intervals. The stones were removed from the fire by gripping them with two wooden sticks.

Question 24

When and from where did Neolithic farmers arrive?

Answer 24

They came to Ireland from Britain and mainland Europe in around 4000BC.