Archaeology can often feel as dry and dead as the very artifacts it unearths. Debates around dating methodologies (I feel there should be an obligatory joke about Tinder here), discoveries of inane objects of little to no importance, or merely terminology so densely formulated in ‘isms’ and ‘tions’ that no lay-person has a hope of understanding it. Thankfully, Flanagan’s book can be accused of none of these pitfalls. Instead, it presents a simple chronology of ancient Ireland, walking us through each period by covering the most significant archaeological evidence available. It truly is a unique and welcome insight into the ancient world of pre-Iron Age Ireland.
Author: As described in the book, Laurence Flanagan is an archaeologist and a former keeper of antiquities at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. This is one of many books he has written, but one of the most well known on Irish archaeology.
Summary: The structure of the book is very effective; part 1 beginning with the Mesolithic period through to late bronze age, we are given a high-level overview of each epoch. These are contextualised with archaeological research and evidence, to show how life could have looked for the those who lived on the island 1000s of year before. Part 2 provides analysis by different social themes, covering buildings, dress, culture, trade, travel, amongst many other things. This allows readers to both read the book chronological or as a reference text, returning again and again to the relevant area of interest (as I do many times).
My view: Having recently visited the Giant’s Ring outside Belfast, an incredible 200m-wide circular embankment with a henge at its centre, I couldn’t help but feel that the experience was curtailed by a lack of knowledge of the site’s significance. Flanagan’s book does a tremendous job filling that gap, as it presents what we know about a given period in Ireland, rather than mere sites or objects. This means I can see the Giant’s Ring not as a location, but as one of the neolithic sites which has been passed down to us, using our knowledge of this period to give context to what is otherwise a pile of earth and stones.
The second section of the book provides an excellent reference source for the layperson, clearly structured around different thematic areas, such as farming or astronomy. What makes this particularly useful is the period covered, for most reference sources are focused on the Iron Age onwards, or later still, or they lack any clear defined period at all (which is the most common practice). This greatly improves the value of such a book, not simply as something you read and then discard, but as a reference source which I’ll return to again and again.
Favourite quote:
It is necessary to always remember that although the flint tools, pots, tombs, house plans, and decoration so frequently in archaeological textbooks are important, they are important primarily as documents of social history – as clues to how their makers and users eked out a precarious living or enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.
Favourite fact: The ratio of ore to fuel to smelt copper was 1:2500, so for 20kg of copper they need a incredible 2500 tonnes of wood, the equivalent of 100 mature oaks felled, logged and converted into charcoal!
Book specification: 233 pages, 17 chapters, published in 1998.
Available here on: Amazon £14.99
