Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age

A lot of the comments mentioned students not

understanding the difference between Stone, Bronze

and Iron Age.
I will explain the different Ages, and mention some key

words associated with each one.

 In Ancient Ireland, there are two Ages within the

Stone Age

-Mesolithic

Age First settlers in Ireland Hunter

Gatherers

Neolithic Age Starting to improve farming

through grazing animals and growing crops.

 In every Age, the settlers became more civilised.

Stone Age They use stone. Basic standard of living

Bronze Age Start using copper and tin to create

jewellery, tools and weapons
Iron Age Strong metal, more plentiful. Celts.

 Mesolithic Age Hunter Gatherers

Neolithic Age Using crops and grazing cows, sheep

etc.
Examples Mount Sandel and Ceide Fields
Burial tombs Passage Tombs, Court Cairns and
Dolmens

 If you are asked to give an example of a Stone Age

settlement (where they lived), you can mention Ceide

Fields or Mount Sandel

If you are asked to give an example of a Stone Age

burial site, you can mention Newgrange, which is a

Passage Tomb.

 Copper and Tin were two elements that when

combined made Bronze

The Bronze Age settlers used this new metal to make

jewellery. Examples include:

Golden Torcs
Lunalu/Lunalae
Dress Fastners

 The Bronze Age settlers also invented a new way to

cook. This was called a Fulacht Fiadh.

Hole in the ground.
Boggy ground impermeable layer.

Fill with water.

Cook a fire with large stones.
Stones heat up and then placed into water.

Place meat wrapped in straw into boiling water.

This method BOILED their food.

 Celts

Settlements Ringforts, Hillforts and Crannogs

Ogham earliest form of writing in Ireland
Saint Patrick and Christianity

Monks and Monasteries

Book of Kells and Ardagh Chalice
Missionaries

 He brought Christianity to Ireland

This impacted everything to do with Monks and

Monasteries.
The Irish people were no longer pagans. The main

religion across Ireland was Christianity.

This is because of Saint Patrick.

 Abbot - Head of the Monastery

Examples of monasteries Skelig Mhicheal or

Clonmacnoise
Monks = Holy people
Oratory = Church
Refectory = Restaurant
Scriptorium = Place where monks wrote.
Round Tower = Safety and Storage
Bee Hive Huts Place where they slept
Ardagh Chalice and Book of Kells Monks made them