The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland

Description

Caves are one of the most enduring natural features in the Irish landscape. Approximately 980 are documented across limestone regions of the country, and 91 of these are registered archaeological sites. Until recently they have tended to remain neglected for archaeological study, being the haunt of cavers and palaeontologists who have historically been largely responsible for the recovery of cultural material. In many ways caves resemble cabinets of curiosities underground repositories of jumbled and varied multi-period collections of artefacts and bones. As research develops and the archaeological potential of caves is increasingly recognised, the number of caves of archaeological significance in Ireland is growing. When associated fields of scholarship are considered such as popular religious practices, ethnohistory and folklore we are left in no doubt as to their cultural importance. This fully illustrated book provides a synthesis of what we currently know about how caves were used and perceived by communities spanning the 10,000 years of human occupation of Ireland, from the earliest Mesolithic hunter gatherers to the 21st century urban dweller."