People_of_Prehistoric_Ireland_Summary_09.pdf - The Heritage ...

THE PEOPLE OF PREHISTORIC IRELAND: HEALTH AND DEMOGRAPHY
PHASE 1 – THE COLLATION OF BASELINE DATA ON COLLECTIONS OF IRISH
PREHISTORIC HUMAN REMAINS
Principal investigator – Dr Eileen Murphy, Queen’s University Belfast
Associate investigator – Dr Barra Ó Donnabháin, University College Cork
Researchers – Dr Harry Welsh and Ms Clare McGranaghan
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Summary Report
1. Summary of key achievements
Phase 1 of the INSTAR People of Prehistoric Ireland research project focused on the collation
of baseline data on collections of Irish prehistoric human remains. Its main achievement has
been the production of an up-to-date, live, online database that includes details of all
collections of prehistoric human remains recovered during excavations in Ireland to date. At
present the database includes entries for 1437 sites and mechanisms have been put in place
to ensure that it is regularly updated. The database can be freely accessed by all interested
parties through the project website at:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/INSTARpeopleofprehistoricIreland/
Already, interrogation of the database has revealed its potential as a research tool.
Interesting trends concerning the geographical distribution of prehistoric remains, their
chronological spread and their physical manifestation are apparent. The team faced a
number of challenges, such as problems with terminology, during the creation of the
database. It is hoped that the project has raised the level of awareness on this issue and will
help encourage archaeological policy makers from across the island to address this difficulty,
as this would greatly assist future data collation projects of this nature. A library of some 300
published and unpublished reports for excavations that have produced prehistoric human
remains in Ireland has been established in the School of Geography, Archaeology and
Palaeoecology at Queen’s University Belfast. Again, this body of material will form an
invaluable research tool for anyone undertaking future research on the prehistoric
populations of Ireland.
A total of 45 samples of cremated or inhumed human bone have been submitted to the
CHRONO laboratory at Queen’s University Belfast for radiocarbon dating. The current
backlog in the laboratory means that the results will not be forthcoming until spring 2010.
The samples were carefully selected from some 17 sites distributed around the island to
address a number of problematical issues pertaining to the chronology of Irish prehistoric
human remains. This exercise will enable a review of the use-history of a number of complex
multi-period sites to be undertaken. New dates will also be obtained for important sites,
such as the highly significant Iron Age site at Kiltierney, Co. Fermanagh.
In addition, an attempt has been made to select samples from sites which have the potential
to provide insights concerning the question of the curation of corporeal remains in the Early
Bronze Age. It is also hoped that the suite of new radiocarbon dates will enable us to
ascertain if a chronological boundary exists between those cist burials associated with grave
goods and those that do not contain such items or if this discrepancy can be explained as a
result of social differences unrelated to chronology. The collation of the baseline data in the
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form of the database, the library of articles and the suite of new radiocarbon dates was
considered to be essential before Phase 2 of the project could commence. The objective of
the second phase of the project is to undertake a rigorous examination of all the evidence
relating to Irish prehistoric human remains. This would involve the scrutiny of both the
osteoarchaeological and cultural data so that the changing dynamics of Irish prehistoric
populations across a number of biological parameters, such as demography and health
status, and cultural parameters such as mortuary practices, could be undertaken. With the
successful completion of Phase 1 of the project we are of the strong opinion that we could
now proceed to Phase 2 and undertake a biocultural study of Ireland’s prehistoric
populations that could provide a wealth of knowledge that would be of interest to the
general public, osteoarchaeologists and prehistorians alike.
2. Number of new jobs/posts created
Two research assistants were employed for the duration of the project. A computer
database expert was employed to create the database. Three further individuals assisted
with the final stages of data collection at the end of the project.
3. Output from project/Public dissemination
A project website was created and can be viewed at:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/INSTARpeopleofprehistoricIreland/
A project seminar for all those individuals involved in the project was held in the Royal Irish
Academy, Dublin, on the 3rd November 2009. A publicity piece, written by Michael
McDonagh (NRA), was published in volume 4 of the NRA’s public-outreach magazine –
Seanda (2009; page 3).
A publicity piece was submitted for inclusion in the winter edition of Archaeology Ireland. A
poster was presented on the project at the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland’s (IAI)
autumn conference which took place in Cork on the 6th and 7th November 2009. A poster,
providing an overview of the project, is on display in the Archaeology and Palaeoecology
Building, Queen’s University Belfast. A poster, providing an overview of the project, is on
display in the Department of Archaeology, University College Cork. A poster, providing an
overview of the project, is on display at the Northern Ireland Archaeological Forum’s (NIAF)
Archaeology Roadshow at The Outlet Shopping Centre, Banbridge, Co. Down. This runs from
the 3rd – 20th December 2009.
A general reader article which summarises the main achievements and findings of the
project is to be submitted for publication in the spring issue of Archaeology Ireland shortly. A
more substantial academic article is in draft format and will be submitted to the Journal of
Irish Archaeology early in 2010.
4. Funding for 2010
The project was originally designed to be implemented in two phases. Phase 1 largely
involved the collection of baseline data. Should further funding be available it would be
hoped to take the project to the next level and produce a synthesis of the
osteoarchaeological information available or Irish prehistoric populations.
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The overall end result of Phase 1 and Phase 2 would be the production of a book which
would study the changing nature of the demography and health of Irish prehistoric
populations. It would also examine the nature of burial practices and mortuary rituals over
time. To achieve this objective, it would be intended to appoint a researcher who could
interrogate and synthesise the information collated during Phase 1 of the project.
The strong archaeological backgrounds of the two lead researchers (Dr Eileen Murphy and
Dr Barra Ó Donnabháin) involved, and the ongoing support of the partner organisations,
would help to ensure that the osteoarchaeological information would be embedded within
findings derived from broader cultural and palaeoenvironmental contexts.
Osteoarchaeological findings are often excluded from mainstream discussions of Irish
prehistory because of their specialist nature. Care would be taken to ensure that this was
not the case in the current project and that the results would be presented in a manner that
would be accessible to osteoarchaeologists, archaeologists and the general public.
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