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Celtic Ireland (Background (Did the "Celts" conquer Ireland or…
Celtic Ireland
Background
Immigration of the Halstatt Iron Age peoples = Celtic Iron Age civilisation cca. 450AD (Aalen, 1997).
- Considered by the Romans as "insular celts".
What makes the Celts "Celtic"?
- Issues of identity.
- Issues of historical revisionism & evidence.
The Iron Age = developing society (Raftery, 2004).
Did the "Celts" conquer Ireland or did Ireland conquer the Celts? (Raftery, 2004).
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Presence of tribal names & physical features on Ptolemy's early C2nd map indicates mass immigration of Celts (Galli/ Celtae people).
- Characterised by graves of heavily armed warriors.
- Common elements of material culture (La Tene cultural horizon).
Hawke's 1931 classic ABC model of British Iron Age invasion
- Challenged by archaeological evidence of 1960s.
- Celts have their roots in indigenous Bronze Age structures.
- Presence of a Celtic language prior to the Christian Era.
Irish language established as part of La Tene package or pre-dated the Christian Era? - passed down by a powerful elite or by mothers -> children?
Will be revealed by the "silent majority" ≠the powerful, La Tene aristocracy.
Social dimensions.
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Earliest Irish Celts were rooted to the soil, animal farmers (first farmers) & ploughmen, humble peasants.
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Cultural landscape.
La Tene culture cca. 200 AD. (Aalen, 1997).
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Problem w/ ass. introduction of Celts to immigrating La Tene horizon is a lack of evidence of inhumation cemeteries (Raftery, 2004). - Arras Culture of Yorkshire & British Belgae burials not 👀 in Ireland *typical simple burials which date back to pre-Iron Age."
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Settlement patterns
Miniature Iron Age kingdoms = territories defended by hilltop forts & linear earthworks e.g. Black Pig's Dyke, co. Armagh. - Creation of Ireland's finest archaeological landscapes w/ earthworks, burial mounds & enclosures (Aalen, 1997).
N.B. the archaeological evidence is used to distinguish the beginning of the Celts = revisionist & man-made!
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construction of tens of thousands ringforts cca. 30m small circular enclosures. - associated w/ monastic, ecclesiastical sites e.g. co. Offaly
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The landscape was intensively settled than ever before (Aalen, 1978) w/ 4 main types of settlement structures.
Raths (celtic ringfort): is a distinctively Irish form. Cashels are stone walled circular earthworks. Raths were most widespread during the Early Christian Period but not restricted to it (can date back to LBA). -Indicates a large pop. increase & ass, w/ widespread forest clearance.
NB. associated w/ the larger farmers w/ higher social status and therefore perhaps not representative of the "silent majority".
Ring-forts: defensive structures usually ascribed to the Iron Age but large dating uncertainties exist. Has been few excavations but Rathgall, co. Wicklow demonstrate LBA occupation.
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these settlement structures did not translate into later urbanisation indicating they were not the beginning of a "homogenous Celtic identity".
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