147
occurs, passage tombs are always located at elevations higher than court and portal
tombs. This finding advocates that height, and relative height, was symbolic and
hierarchical to the passage tombs builders (Prendergast, 2011). Additional support
for a shared belief system across the passage tomb tradition in Ireland is added here
using the example of polished stone axes. Some were made from porcellanite, a
high-value fine-grained stone found on Rathlin Island off the north coast of Co.
Antrim yet discovered across Ireland and Britain (Cooney, 1992). Axe production,
though not exclusive to the Neolithic, greatly increased in this period. A range of
usages have been ascribed including depositions in hoards, in sacred places, and to
mark particular events. A number arrived here from Britain and Europe, some made
of precious jadeite, further suggesting such artefacts were imbued with symbolism
and had ceremonial contexts. Their wide geographical spread across the island, far
beyond the source of their production, could support the thesis that axe distribution
was symbiotic to the diffusion of religious customs and ideas specific to the passage
tomb tradition. The above timelines, broadly c. 4000–2500 cal BC, next move the
discussion to a consideration of the palaeoenvironmental record, and how this may
have impacted on horizon range and associated views surrounding the tombs.
In the millennia since the Neolithic, the effects of precession and obliquity on the
earth’s axis of rotation have altered the apparent positions of observable celestial
bodies. Modern planetarium tools combined with digital models of the terrain allow
exact reconstruction of those ancient skies and scenes. Landscapes, by comparison,
evolve unpredictably over short and long timescales due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. This has a major bearing on the scenic analysis of present day views
if these are used to infer that similar conditions prevailed in the prehistoric past.
Modelling the impact of farming on woodland dynamics during the Neolithic is one
approach to addressing such uncertainties using studies of spatial and temporal
changes in settlement patterns and demographics in the Neolithic (McLaughlin
et al., 2016). Relatedly, their analysis of radiocarbon-dated pollen shows that for
localised regions, in Ireland at least, deforestation can be linked to intensive phases
of farming activity. O’Connell, Molloy, and Jennings (2020) present new evidence
of such landscape change at a Neolithic settlement in north Co. Mayo, western
Ireland. The site is more widely known as the Céide Fields, an extensive stone-wall
field system now covered by blanket bog. That study provides unambiguous evidence for substantial farming beginning c. 3800 BC, including widespread woodland clearance. A distinct lull in farming lasting several centuries followed, with a
resumption detected from c. 2700 BC onwards. These data show how human activity was a determining factor in the complex cycles of forestation and deforestation.
O’Connell also stresses the well-recognised importance of the Céide Fields for
understanding farming impact on landscape during the Neolithic, not just in western
Ireland, but in Atlantic Europe, generally. If the findings for the Céide Fields region
can be legitimately extrapolated to other parts of the island, the safest conclusion for
this discussion is that landscapes fluctuated from complete forestation to more open
vistas across the chronological period of tomb building. As a consequence, height
and proximity of the tree canopy surrounding specific burial sites cannot be reliably
modelled and this requires an examination of their landscape setting.
The North Sky and the Otherworld: Journeys of the Dead in the Neolithic Considered
occurs, passage tombs are always located at elevations higher than court and portal
tombs. This finding advocates that height, and relative height, was symbolic and
hierarchical to the passage tombs builders (Prendergast, 2011). Additional support
for a shared belief system across the passage tomb tradition in Ireland is added here
using the example of polished stone axes. Some were made from porcellanite, a
high-value fine-grained stone found on Rathlin Island off the north coast of Co.
Antrim yet discovered across Ireland and Britain (Cooney, 1992). Axe production,
though not exclusive to the Neolithic, greatly increased in this period. A range of
usages have been ascribed including depositions in hoards, in sacred places, and to
mark particular events. A number arrived here from Britain and Europe, some made
of precious jadeite, further suggesting such artefacts were imbued with symbolism
and had ceremonial contexts. Their wide geographical spread across the island, far
beyond the source of their production, could support the thesis that axe distribution
was symbiotic to the diffusion of religious customs and ideas specific to the passage
tomb tradition. The above timelines, broadly c. 4000–2500 cal BC, next move the
discussion to a consideration of the palaeoenvironmental record, and how this may
have impacted on horizon range and associated views surrounding the tombs.
In the millennia since the Neolithic, the effects of precession and obliquity on the
earth’s axis of rotation have altered the apparent positions of observable celestial
bodies. Modern planetarium tools combined with digital models of the terrain allow
exact reconstruction of those ancient skies and scenes. Landscapes, by comparison,
evolve unpredictably over short and long timescales due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. This has a major bearing on the scenic analysis of present day views
if these are used to infer that similar conditions prevailed in the prehistoric past.
Modelling the impact of farming on woodland dynamics during the Neolithic is one
approach to addressing such uncertainties using studies of spatial and temporal
changes in settlement patterns and demographics in the Neolithic (McLaughlin
et al., 2016). Relatedly, their analysis of radiocarbon-dated pollen shows that for
localised regions, in Ireland at least, deforestation can be linked to intensive phases
of farming activity. O’Connell, Molloy, and Jennings (2020) present new evidence
of such landscape change at a Neolithic settlement in north Co. Mayo, western
Ireland. The site is more widely known as the Céide Fields, an extensive stone-wall
field system now covered by blanket bog. That study provides unambiguous evidence for substantial farming beginning c. 3800 BC, including widespread woodland clearance. A distinct lull in farming lasting several centuries followed, with a
resumption detected from c. 2700 BC onwards. These data show how human activity was a determining factor in the complex cycles of forestation and deforestation.
O’Connell also stresses the well-recognised importance of the Céide Fields for
understanding farming impact on landscape during the Neolithic, not just in western
Ireland, but in Atlantic Europe, generally. If the findings for the Céide Fields region
can be legitimately extrapolated to other parts of the island, the safest conclusion for
this discussion is that landscapes fluctuated from complete forestation to more open
vistas across the chronological period of tomb building. As a consequence, height
and proximity of the tree canopy surrounding specific burial sites cannot be reliably
modelled and this requires an examination of their landscape setting.
The North Sky and the Otherworld: Journeys of the Dead in the Neolithic Considered