1. Ancient Ireland
stone age
when people used stone to make tools

2. Ancient Ireland Paleolithic old stone age (irrelevant) Mesolithic
Ireland was covered in ice
Mesolithic
middle stone age
began after 10,000 B.C.E
first people arrived

3. Ancient Ireland Mesolithic 8000 B.C.E. ended around 4500 B.C.E.
land covered in Pine, Oak, Elm and Hazel
ended around 4500 B.C.E.
coming of the first farmers

4. Ancient Ireland Invasion Myths Fir Bolgs Tuatha DeDanann
became the legendary faerie people
Sons of Mil (Meal)
Celts

6. Ancient Ireland First Irish Settlements
all near water
along the coast
beside inland lakes and rivers
extended family of twenty-five
ideal size for hunters / gatherers

8. Ancient Ireland First Irish Settlements
5000 B.C.E.
the farming revolution reached Ireland

10. Ancient Ireland The First Farmers
4000 B.C.E.
Neolithic Ireland
all sheep or cattle came in by boat
everything needed for a farming existence had to
be carried in by boat
farmers and hunter-gatherers existed side-by side for a long period of time

11. Ancient Ireland Tombs & Tribal Leaders
4000 to 2000 B.C.E.
4000 to 3000 B.C.E.
temperatures in the northern hemisphere were several degrees higher than today
in the fertile crescent, food surpluses made urban life possible

12. Ancient Ireland Tombs & Tribal Leaders
Megalithic Tombs
great tombs for the dead were being built in northern Europe
ready supply of workers able to spend
months away from farming
strong leadership

13. Ancient Ireland Tombs & Tribal Leaders
Megalithic Tombs
portal tombs
court tombs
wedge tombs
passage tombs

18. Ancient Ireland Tombs & Tribal Leaders
Megalithic Tombs
sophisticated organization
degree of specialization in human activity
architects - design
stone carvers - cut stones
masons - build
engineers create ramps & pulleys
artists - spirals and lozenges

21. Ancient Ireland Bronze Age
4500 B.C.E.
farmers living in modern day Turkey learned to extract metal from rocks
the Bronze Age spread northwest along the trade routes
3500 B.C.E. it arrived in Spain
2400 B.C.E. it reached Ireland

22. Ancient Ireland Bronze Age
2400 B.C.E.
forest covered most of Ireland
tools allowed humans to shape their environment
metal tools allowed them to do it faster and more effectively

23. Ancient Ireland Bronze Age
The Beaker Folk
bronze age technology spread
warrior aristocrats from Spain & Rhine Valley
spread the new technology throughout Europe
better pottery and new skills in metal working
religious practices were changing
stone circles appeared for the first time