Chapter 2 Early Ireland Flashcards
When did the first settlers arrive in Ireland?
The first settlers arrived in Ireland about 9000 years ago.
How do we know about Mesolithic people?
We know a lot about Mesolithic people from evidence found by archaeologists at Mount Sandel, Coleraine, Co. Derry.
What was flint used for during the Mesolithic period?
Big pieces of flint were used for spears and axe heads for hunting and fishing. Small pieces were used as knives and scrapers.
What is the Mesolithic Period
The Mesolithic Period or Middle Stone Age is a period when hunter-gatherers used simple stone tools.
How did Mesolithic people make their homes?
They discovered a circle of post holes and evidence that fires were lit in the Centre of the circle. Branches would have been bent to make the shape of a dome. Animal skins would then be put up to cover the branches
What is a hunter-gatherer?
A hunter-gatherer is when a man gets food by hunting animals and women by gathering nuts and berries.
How do we know that Mesolithic people ate a variety of different foods?
We know that the Mesolithic people ate a variety of different food because archaeologists have found hazelnut shells, Bones of deer and wild pig and fish shells and fish bones at Mount Sandel.
What were the main changes between Mesolithic and Neolithic?
By the Neolithic period:
Trees were cut down
Crops were planted
People raised animals
What stone were Neolithic tools made of?
Porcellanite
Why were peoples houses of better quality in the Neolithic period than in the Mesolithic period?
Many Neolithic people were farmers so they no longer had to move around all the time.
What method did Neolithic people make they’re houses out of?
Wattle and Daub
What did farmers from Britain bring to Ireland?
Farmers brought seeds,plants and livestock from Britain.
At what time did people begin to farm in Ireland?
Around 4000BC
What sights can Neolithic settlements be found at?
Lough Gur Co. Limerick and Céide fields
Explain Wattle and daub?
Branches were weaved in and out of planks like a huge basket. Then Mud and straw was plastered over the woven walls to cover up cracks.
Why were Neolithic people able to make better clothes than Mesolithic people?
Neolithic people had wool from sheep available to use
Dyes were made from berries and wild plants
Neolithic people wore jewellery.
What did Neolithic people use to make pottery and what did they make?
Neolithic people make pottery out of clay and used clay pots to store food and for cooking.
What evidence is there that people started taking ownership of plots of land in the Neolithic period?
Stone walls were built to make fences around fields and protect the livestock. Some of these walls have been found in the Céide Fields and are still standing.
What was a quern stone used for?
A queen stone was used to grind flour and make bread.
What did Neolithic people believe happened to their dead?
Neolithic people believed that the spirit left the body and moved on in an afterlife.
How many Megalithic tombs are in Ireland and when were they built?
They’re are over 2000 Megalithic tombs in Ireland and were built over 5000 years ago.
Name the types of Megalithic tombs?
Court Cairns,Dolmens and Passage tombs.
What is in a court cairn?
A court cairn is made of upright stones covered over with earth.
Inside the Court Cairn there is a passage leading to the center chamber. Pottery bowels containing cremated (burnt) human remains.
What is a Dolmen?
A Dolmens are made of two or three large upright stones with another very large stone called a capstone lying on top.