Ancient Ireland PL College

The Mesolithic period is also called the [blank_start]Middle Stone Age[blank_end]

The Mesolithic people were [blank_start]hunters and gatherers[blank_end].

[blank_start]Mount Sandel[blank_end] in Northern Ireland is an example of a Mesolithic site.

[blank_start]Newgrange[blank_end] is an example of a Neolithic site. It is [blank_start]4500[blank_end] years old. Many of the stones are decorated with [blank_start]swirling spirals[blank_end]. The entrance contains a light box that is illuminated on [blank_start]21 December[blank_end].

A Cist Grave is a Mesolithic site.

A passage grave is called such because it consists of a [blank_start]passage[blank_end] that leads to a [blank_start]chamber[blank_end].

[blank_start]Standing Stones[blank_end] are arranged in circles. Many think they were burial places in the [blank_start]Bronze Age[blank_end]. Some contain a stone in the middle and so some think they were also used for [blank_start]ceremonies[blank_end].

The first farmers arrived in the [blank_start]neolithic[blank_end] period.

They were more advanced because they hunted with [blank_start]stone axes[blank_end]. They built [blank_start]megalithic[blank_end] tombs, made pottery and also grew wheat and [blank_start]barley[blank_end] and kept cattle, sheep and [blank_start]pigs[blank_end]. They also had stronger [blank_start]houses[blank_end].

A [blank_start]court cairn[blank_end] had an open area called a court at the entrance. Bodies were [blank_start]cremated[blank_end] in the court. These remains were then placed in the chambers. A cairn or heap of smaller stones covered the [blank_start]chamber[blank_end].

A wedge tomb looks like a woman's [blank_start]shoe[blank_end]. They are wide and [blank_start]high[blank_end] at one end and low and [blank_start]narrow[blank_end] at the other.

The Neolithic people grew crops by hand. When they harvested the crops they removed the grain and ground it down using [blank_start]rotary querns[blank_end].

The Bronze Age began [blank_start]2000[blank_end] years b.c. Bronze is a mixture of [blank_start]copper[blank_end] and tin. The people who made the bronze were called [blank_start]smiths[blank_end]. They also made items out of [blank_start]gold[blank_end]. [blank_start]Torcs[blank_end] were necklaces that looked like gold ropes while a [blank_start]lanula[blank_end] looked like a crescent moon.

A [blank_start]fulacht fia[blank_end] was a bronze age cooker.

The [blank_start]Celts[blank_end] arrived in Ireland in 500 B.C.

The Celts brought with them Steel.

The Celts made their hair blond by washing it in [blank_start]limewater[blank_end]. Noblemen had long [blank_start]moustaches[blank_end], wore knee length [blank_start]tunics[blank_end], while both men and women wore [blank_start]cloaks[blank_end]. [blank_start]Plant juices[blank_end] were used to dye their cloaks.

Some Celts line circular stone forts called [blank_start]duns[blank_end]. Others were called [blank_start]promontory forts[blank_end].

Stone masons made [blank_start]ogham stones[blank_end] which were stone pillars with lines carved into them

Ogham was a type of writing

The celts had many gods or [blank_start]deities[blank_end]. The main god was called [blank_start]Dagda[blank_end] and his wife [blank_start]Boann[blank_end]. [blank_start]Lug[blank_end] was the god of war. The Celts didn't build temples but believed the gods lived everywhere in [blank_start]nature[blank_end] and they sacrificed [blank_start]animals[blank_end] to the gods. They had religious festivals where [blank_start]druids[blank_end] held ceremonies.

The Celtic royal family were called the [blank_start]Derbhfine[blank_end]. Below them were the [blank_start]nobles[blank_end], which included [blank_start]warriors[blank_end] and Aos Dana. The Aos Dana included brehons or judges, druids, poets, bards, and [blank_start]craftsmen[blank_end]. Next was the commoners, who were farmers that rented [blank_start]land[blank_end] from the nobles. Lastly came the slaves.