The social and technological context of ironworking in early medieval Ireland
Brian Dolan
Supervisor:
Dr Aidan O’Sullivan
Dr Helen Lewis
Funded by: IRCHSS Post-graduate Scholarship
NUI Travelling Studentship
Marie Curie Early Stage Funding.
Abstract
Iron is and was a key material in people’s lives. Today it is ubiquitous and essential, affecting society, the economy and people’s everyday lives. This PhD project will examine the similarly important role iron played in Irish early medieval society, a society preoccupied with agriculture (tools and equipment), bent on warfare (weaponry) and with sophisticated systems of patronage, production centres and redistribution networks.
Archaeological evidence for the practice of ironworking is common on many Early Medieval settlement and ecclesiastical sites. However, archaeological research into the material, its production and its role in Early Medieval Society has been rare, particularly in the last two decades. Scott’s (1990) seminal, and comprehensive, Early Irish Ironworking identified 91 sites dating to the early medieval period. However, almost two decades later the quality and quantity of new data has increased exponentially. Preliminary work based solely on survey of the excavations.ie database suggests a minimum of 59 relevant new sites have been excavated between 1990 and 2002. Excavations are being carried out to a far higher standard with specialist slag and metallurgical analysis of sites becoming the norm. The nature of the evidence has also significantly changed. Recently excavated sites such as Johnstown (Clarke, 2002) and Clonfad (Stevens, 2006) have produced slag assemblages measured in tons, dwarfing anything previously known.
This project will combine a comprehensive database of relevant sites with contextual analysis of the material at various scales of working in the landscape. Case studies at regional, local and micro levels will look at the Chaîne opératoire of ironworking within sites and landscapes. Slag and/or metallurgical analysis may be undertaken, where appropriate, in conjunction with University College London. Archaeological data will be compared with the historical sources and modern theoretical perspectives on the social role of technology will be considered. The project will generate new models of the role of ironworking technology in Irish early medieval communities, drawing on current theoretical approaches to society and technology and comparative international research
(e.g. Ottaway and Wager, 2002, Vogel, 2000, Sahu, 2006, Feugére and Gustin, 2000, Knapp et al., 1998, Stark, 1998, Dobres and Hoffman, 1999) .
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