Early Medieval Ireland, AD 400-1100: The evidence from archaeological excavations

Overview and synthesis of early medieval Irish excavations between 1930 and the present.

1987-1991. Joint Archaeological Project of the National Museum of Malta and the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Malta.

Malone, C.A.T. and S.K.F. Stoddart, Five Year Statement.1991: Cambridge University.

An archaeological approach to the development of the late medieval peasant house

Archaeological excavation has provided an alternative source of evidence for the development of the late medieval peasant house. It is argued that whilst there was a significant change in building techniques in the decades around 1200 with the adoption of ground-set timbers, the most important factor which led to the survival of houses was a fall in real wages during the thirteenth century. This encouraged peasants to repair existing buildings, rather than replace them with new ones. Alternative traditions of building are also investigated. Stone construction was adopted in a number of areas of England, but in spite of the durability of the material, few medieval peasant buildings of this type have survived in use because of the failure to use lime mortar. Decisions about whether to invest in a building’s renovation will depend on the capital initially expended upon it. This interpretation is considered against the data from the fifteenth century and found to conform satisfactorily. Its implications are considered for the period between 1200 and 1350. Data collected from archaeological excavations combined with the results of dendrochronology on a growing number of closely dated standing buildings suggest that there was a significant ‘cull’ of houses in the period after 1350 as new dwellings were constructed.

A RAG System for the Management Forensic and Archaeological Searches of Burial Grounds

Burial grounds are commonly surveyed and searched by both police/humanitarian search teams and archaeologists.
One aspect of an efficient search is to establish areas free of recent internments to allow the concentration of assets in suspect
terrain. While 100% surety in locating remains can never be achieved, the deployment of a red, amber green (RAG) system for
assessment has proven invaluable to our surveys. The RAG system is based on a desktop study (including burial ground
records), visual inspection (mounding, collapses) and use of geophysics (in this case, ground penetrating radar or GPR) for a
multi-proxy assessment that provides search authorities an assessment of the state of inhumations and a level of legal backup
for decisions they make on excavation or not (‘exit strategy’). The system is flexible and will be built upon as research
continues.

The Application of Digital Photogrammetric Techniques and Aerial Photography to the Preservation of Archaeological Detail. Case Study: The Copney Stone Circle Complex, Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland

The Copney Stone Circle Complex, Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland, is an important Bronze Age site forming part of the Mid-Ulster Stone Circle Complex. The Environment Service: Historic Monuments and Buildings (ESHMB) initiated a program of bog-clearance in August 1994 to excavate the stone circles. This work was completed by October 1994 and the excavated site was surveyed in August 1995. Almost immediately, the rate at which the stones forming the circles were breaking down was noted and a program of study initiated to make recommendations upon the conservation of this important site. Digital photogrammetric techniques were applied to aerial images of the stone circles and digital terrain models created from the images at a range of scales. These provide base data sets for comparison with identical surveys to be completed in successive years and will allow the rate of deterioration, and the areas most affected, of the circles to be determined. In addition, a 2D analysis of the stones provides an accurate analysis of the absolute 2D dimensions of the stones for rapid desktop computer analysis by researchers remote from the digital photogrammetric workstation used in the survey.

The products of this work are readily incorporated into web sites, educational packages and databases. The technique provides a rapid and user friendly method of presentation of a large body of information and measurements, and a reliable method of storage of the information from Copney should it become necessary to re-cover the site.

Battles, Boats & Bones:Archaeological Discoveries in Northern Ireland 1987-2008

How did our ancestors build their homes? What weapons did they use? What religious rituals did they follow? What did they eat? How did technology develop over the centuries? These are just some of the questions answered in Battles, Boats & Bones, which offers a fascinating insight into the daily lives of our ancestors stretching back as far as the Early Neolithic period. Bringing together details and interpretations of discoveries made as a result of 25 archaeological excavations across Northern Ireland over the last 20 years, the book is a window into our collective past. https://www.tsoshop.co.uk/gempdf/Timeline_Circles.swf