Early Ireland: An Introduction to Irish Prehistory

by Michael J. O'Kelly

Overview

Engagingly written and packed with illustrations, Early Ireland, seeks to introduce the general reader to the riches of Irish prehistory—a span of eight thousand years from the end of the Ice Age to the first centuries of the Christian era. It provides a clear account of the development of Irish society from its beginnings as a postglacial culture of hunters and gatherers, through the glory of its golden age in the second millennium BC, to the technological advances stimulated by the discovery of iron and, in the last centuries BC, the development of a Celtic art style of unrivalled power and individuality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521336871
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/06/1989
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.77(w) x 9.72(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Preface Glyn Daniel; Acknowledgements; 1. The Ice Age; 2. The Mesolithic period; 3. The Neolithic period; 4. The late Neolithic/Beaker period; 5. Megaliths; 6. Single burials and earthen and stone enclosures; 7. The Bronze Age; 8. Bronze Age burial; 9. Bronze Age settlement and stone monuments; 10. The Iron Age; 11. Later prehistoric settlement; 12. Iron Age burial; Appendix; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"...this book represents all that was best in the previous generation of Irish archaeologists. Written by a man who was one of the foremost of that generation, it could not have been otherwise." American Journal of Archaeology

"...a delightful and informative book which is aptly described by its title. Not least of the many positive aspects to this book is the author's clear and vigorous prose style which provides lucid descriptions of complex sites or phenomena....a strong recommendation for this excellent, well-written book. As it is available in paperback as well as hardback, it deserves a place on the shelves of anyone interested in the history and culture of Ireland." Frederick Suppe, Journal of Irish Studies

From the Publisher