Bronze age Ireland

Bronze Age Ireland

First was the “old stone age” – Palaeolithic◦ No humans lived in Ireland at this time

Then the “middle stone age” – Mesolithic – 7,000 – 4,000 BC◦ First humans in Ireland: Settlement at Mount Sandel, Antrim

Next was the “new stone age” – Neolithic – 4,000 -2,000 BC◦ Newgrange and other tombs built

Next was the “Bronze age” – 2,000 – 1,400 BC◦ Copper tools and jewellery created

Final age – the “Iron age” – 1,400 – recent times

The different “ages”

Metal: less likely to break than stone Can be melted and remelted into different shapes Pretty – looks nice for jewellery!

Why use Bronze?

Copper + Tin = Bronze

Bronze

Beakers and “beaker folk”

Mount Gabriel – a copper mine in Ireland

Mount Gabriel – a copper mine in Ireland

Light fires against the rock face – rock heats up! Throw water against the rock – rock cracks! Dig out the ore (rock with copper) Melt down the copper by smelting

Bronze age Ireland - Artefacts

Questions 1-4 P45

Questions 1 to 4 Page 45

Question time

Watch the video and answer these questions:◦ Are the people in the video Historians or Archaeologists?◦ Why do excavations like these not normally happen?◦ What are the archaeologists using to dig out the pot?◦ What do they use to hold the pot together?◦ What are they going to do to the pot to find out what’s inside it?◦ How many years ago did someone put the objects into the pot?

Bronze age hoard video

Bronze age – horses come to Ireland

Fulachta Fia – ancient cooking sites

Stone Circles

Wedge Tombs

Cist burials