A preliminary distribution map of stone axes in Ireland

Grogan, Eoin; Cooney, Gabriel

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00078443

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…These places took time and effort to reach, yet they become the centers of local, regional and even international distribution networks. In Shetland, these networks are archipelago-wide while other quarries like those for Group VI volcanic tuff axes from Cumbria or Group IX porcellanite axes from Tievebulliagh and Rathlin island in County Antrim, Northern Ireland are the center of regional networks across Ireland and Britain (Bradley and Edmonds 1993;Grogan and Cooney 1990). The multi-scalar nature of quarries and quarrying is what makes them so valuable as they allow us to simultaneously explore the dichotomy of islands as both bounded units and as components of complex wider maritime landscapes (Cooney 2017).…”

Section: Quarries and The Island Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Insular networks: An exploration of material distribution, insularity and island identity on the edge of Europe in the Shetland Neolithic

Megarry

Markham²,

Gilhooly

et al. 2021

The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology

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Shortly after arriving in the Shetland archipelago early in the 4th millennium BC, communities began to quarry and make stone tools from riebeckite felsite, quarried from the Northmavine region of North Mainland. The effort expended traveling to the quarry sites, extracting, making and crafting tools was considerable indicating the importance of felsite to Neolithic communities. Results from the North Roe Felsite Project are presented in this paper. The quarrying and distribution of felsite in Shetland can tell us much about insularity, choice, and island identities on a wider scale. The geospatial distribution of 416 felsite tools from across the archipelago was explored. Felsite is used to make tools for utilitarian and ceremonial purposes and, with two exceptions compromising 0.33% of the total dataset, no tools can be securely provenanced outside of Shetland. At a time of increasing communications elsewhere in the Neolithic world, communities in Shetland appear to become focused on the archipelago. This insularity is also evident in contemporary material culture including pottery and funerary structures which do not follow mainland or Orcadian styles, strongly suggesting an islandfocused society during this period. Recent radiocarbon dates suggest that these dynamics were established in the Early Neolithic, before 3500 BC. Felsite, therefore, allows us to explore the otherwise elusive early prehistory of the islands. The distribution network of tools from the quarry complex around the archipelago strongly indicates a preference for maritime travel and transportation, even where terrestrial routes are available. The patterns also suggest settlement and activity across Shetland with important foci at previously understudied locations across North and West Mainland. The study has considerable implications for understanding movement, choice, and identity in past island societies and their relationship to material culture.

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Section: Quarries and The Island Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Insular networks: An exploration of material distribution, insularity and island identity on the edge of Europe in the Shetland Neolithic

Megarry

Markham²,

Gilhooly

et al. 2021

The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…The Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) was established to provide a comprehensive database of Irish stone axes integrating both archaeological and petrological data (see Grogan & Cooney, 1990;Mandal et al, 1991Mandal et al, / 1992Sheridan, Cooney & Grogan, 1992). Included in the research strategy is a systematic programme of raw material identification and sourcing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%