Prehistoric Ireland and Europe

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course is an introduction to the prehistoric communities who inhabited Ireland, Europe and Western Asia from about 150,000 BC to AD 400. Archaeologists divide this long period of time into the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), Neolithic (New Stone Age), Bronze Age and Iron Age. We begin with the earliest modern human inhabitants of Europe and Western Asia, their hunter-gatherer way of life, their art and their relationship to the Neanderthal communities who preceded them. We look at evidence for the first hunter-gatherers who settled in Ireland and later the settlements and rituals of the first communities to develop agriculture and build megalithic tombs. We move on to examine changes in how these communities organised themselves and their rituals over thousands of years, including their adoption of bronze and iron metalworking. Learning Outcomes: This course enables students to: Describe in detail the range of evidence for the development of prehistoric communities and societies in Ireland Place evidence for the development of prehistoric societies in Ireland in a wider context with particular reference to Europe and Western Asia Recognise all of the major artefact and site types from the relevant time period in Ireland and selected key artefacts and site types from the same period in Europe & Western Asia Discuss and compare interpretations by archaeologists of this evidence Demonstrate critical understanding of the nature of prehistoric evidence, its chronology and classification including awareness of problems in the use of classification tools Assemble and comment on evidence for key issues and questions in the study of prehistory.