7th November 2017 - Irish megalithic tombs,
and a comparison with southern Iberian megaliths.
Dr. Tatyana Kytmannow.
Megalithic tombs occur all along the Atlantic fringe of Europe, and date in general to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period. Ireland has one of the densest concentrations of megaliths in Europe, their survival aided by superstitions and non-invasive agricultural practices, i.e. a preference for grazing in large parts of the island.
The first megaliths in Ireland were constructed several generations after the onset of the Neolithic, at circa 3800 BEC, with one important outlier, Poulnabrone portal tomb in Co Clare, which I will discuss in more detail. Ireland has four distinct types of megalithic tombs, with their own rituals, typology and chronology. This classification system is not without its problems but generally helps to bring some order into the circa 1600 megalithic tombs and a further 1500 cairns. In chronological order, they are divided into portal tombs, court tombs, passage tombs and wedge tombs. All of them have some parallels in either Britain or the continent, or both.
While portal tombs are the earliest and often awe-inspiring constructions, the near contemporary court tombs have often impressive courts for elaborated rituals and feasting. However, it is passage tombs which show the greatest variety in architecture, decorations, orientation to celestial bodies and landscape setting. They also have clear parallels in Britain and on the continent, for example in Iberia. And finally, after the apogee of monument building came to an abrupt halt, we see a renaissance of megaliths building with the onset of the Early Bronze Age.
Dr Tatjana Kytmannow was born in Berlin-west and emigrated to Ireland 25 years ago. While being employed by the Office of Public Works as a guide and information officer she attended an evening course in Archaeology from the National University of Ireland/ Galway, and graduated with a diploma with magna cum laude and first class honours in 2001, followed by a first as a BA in Archaeology in 2002. She was awarded a PhD in Archaeology from Queen's University Belfast in 2007 for her thesis "Portal Tombs in the Landscape-the Chronology, Typology and Landscape Settings of Portal Tombs in Ireland, Wales and Cornwall" which was published as a British Archaeology Report (BAR) in 2008. Dr Tatjana Kytmannow was a visiting research fellow at QUB until 2015 when she semi-retired. She has designed and conducted several research projects, including a full survey of all eight islands in Sligo Bay, discovering sites from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Early Christian and early modern periods and conducted excavations in subsequent years. An upland survey in the mountains east of Sligo resulted in the discovery of an extensive Bronze Age landscape, including a well preserved hillfort. A follow on of this project is the survey and excavation of Knocknashee Hillfort to help with the understanding of the chronology and function of hillforts in the West of Ireland. Excavations have taken place this summer after a previous year of extensive survey.
The first megaliths in Ireland were constructed several generations after the onset of the Neolithic, at circa 3800 BEC, with one important outlier, Poulnabrone portal tomb in Co Clare, which I will discuss in more detail. Ireland has four distinct types of megalithic tombs, with their own rituals, typology and chronology. This classification system is not without its problems but generally helps to bring some order into the circa 1600 megalithic tombs and a further 1500 cairns. In chronological order, they are divided into portal tombs, court tombs, passage tombs and wedge tombs. All of them have some parallels in either Britain or the continent, or both.
While portal tombs are the earliest and often awe-inspiring constructions, the near contemporary court tombs have often impressive courts for elaborated rituals and feasting. However, it is passage tombs which show the greatest variety in architecture, decorations, orientation to celestial bodies and landscape setting. They also have clear parallels in Britain and on the continent, for example in Iberia. And finally, after the apogee of monument building came to an abrupt halt, we see a renaissance of megaliths building with the onset of the Early Bronze Age.
Dr Tatjana Kytmannow was born in Berlin-west and emigrated to Ireland 25 years ago. While being employed by the Office of Public Works as a guide and information officer she attended an evening course in Archaeology from the National University of Ireland/ Galway, and graduated with a diploma with magna cum laude and first class honours in 2001, followed by a first as a BA in Archaeology in 2002. She was awarded a PhD in Archaeology from Queen's University Belfast in 2007 for her thesis "Portal Tombs in the Landscape-the Chronology, Typology and Landscape Settings of Portal Tombs in Ireland, Wales and Cornwall" which was published as a British Archaeology Report (BAR) in 2008. Dr Tatjana Kytmannow was a visiting research fellow at QUB until 2015 when she semi-retired. She has designed and conducted several research projects, including a full survey of all eight islands in Sligo Bay, discovering sites from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Early Christian and early modern periods and conducted excavations in subsequent years. An upland survey in the mountains east of Sligo resulted in the discovery of an extensive Bronze Age landscape, including a well preserved hillfort. A follow on of this project is the survey and excavation of Knocknashee Hillfort to help with the understanding of the chronology and function of hillforts in the West of Ireland. Excavations have taken place this summer after a previous year of extensive survey.
