Settlement Research

Settlement Research

Arizona State University

Morgan Wawrzynski
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http://mwawrzynskiireland.weebly.com/

Ireland is widely known to be home to Celtics, but long before they arrived, earlier

civilization inhabited this country. “The first people in Ireland were hunters and gatherers who

arrived about 7,000 to 8,000 BC” (Ireland Calling, 2020, 2). This is around the same time that

the domestication of animals and plants began spreading from the Fertile Crescent but had not

yet hit Ireland. Ireland was believed to be settled after the Ice Age in the North at a place called

Mound Sandel following a possible migration from the mainland of Europe (Ireland Calling,

2020, 4-8). Ireland following the Ice Age was deemed as an admirable and lush green land which

would be suitable for settling. This correlates to the theory and time frame mentioned in the

Guns, Germs, and Steele video (Worth Ofit, 2013) in which the spread of settlements spread

along the East-West axis from the Fertile Crescent however it would be several thousand more

years before domestication took place like it did with settlements in the Fertile Crescent. Not

much is known of the earlier group besides the fact that they were hunters and gatherers that

travelled to the desirable land of Ireland following the Ice Age.

Following these hunter and gatherer groups that settled Mount Sandel, Farmers tamed the

land. Around 4,000 BC these farmers began planting crops such as wheat and domesticating

animals such as cows, sheep, and goats (Irish Archaeology, 2013, 1). The time frame for this

occurrence lines up with Diamond’s East-West axis theory because Ireland is farther away from

the Fertile Crescent than the rest of Europe which began the domestication and farming process

much earlier. These farmers also brought new technologies with them. These technologies

included pottery vessels, polished stone axes, flint tools, and saddle querns for corn grinding

(Irish Archaeology, 2013, 1). These tools were far more advanced than that of the hunter

gatherers before them.

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After the farmers came, life was sustainable enough to begin the creations of metal work

and other technologies in Ireland. The bronze age (2500 – 500 BC) brought “axes, swords,

spears, knives, halberds, cauldrons and jewelry” as well as “hillforts” which were homes atop of

hills to be easily defendable (Irish Archaeology, 2013, 1). This suggests that fighting among

other tribes started becoming frequent because of their creation of swords and other weapons as

well as the change in where they place their homes. In addition to these suggested fights, the

ability to create items such as metals and jewelry is evidence of the farming techniques being

successful in providing sustenance for the early Irish settlers because it shows they were able to

use their energy on things other than creating food. Following the bronze age was the Iron age,

which was similar, however, it involved more conquering compared to farming and brought the

more commonly known Celtics.

The next group mentioned in Irish history is that of the Celtics. The Celts are believed to

arrive in Ireland due to trade and migration from Britain and Europe between 800-400 BC

(O’Neill, 2020, 1). The Celts came in waved of spans of a couple hundred years each time. Each

tribe was viewed as docile hunters and gatherers until the third wave of Celts, the Laginians and

La Tene. The Laginians and La Tene came in 300 BC as warriors with chariots, cavalry and

other warrior equipment (O’Neill, 2020, 1). The Celts brought language, culture, and new beliefs

to Ireland. While the wealthier men fought in battles, the poorer people worked on farms for their

king. The Celtic tribes eventually spread across the entirety of Ireland, splitting it up by kingdom

and dominating the land with their culture.

Although Celtics spread throughout a majority of Europe, Romans saw them as

barbarians and began to conquer their land. While early Romans did not have guns, this does

correlate with the invading and conquering discussed in the Guns, Germs, and Steel videos
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which suggested the conquering of lands also based off the East-West axis. Romans nor Anglo-

Saxons successfully invaded Ireland by the fifth century A.D. which allowed Celtic culture in

Ireland to flourish (History.com Editors, 2020, 1). The peace they had for a temporal time

allowed for the birth of religion and culture. St. Patrick brought Christianity in 432 A.D., but

Catholicism became the dominant religion after the murder of Druids (religious leaders of Gaels)

(History.com Editors, 2020, 1). Unlike places discussed in Guns, Germs, and Steel, the people of

Ireland were not conquered or forced out of their homes and eventually transformed themselves

into modern day Celts. While it seems very plausible that the Celts conquered the farmers and

gatherers in Ireland due to the fact they brought weapons of war with them, there is not enough

evidence to show that Celtics carried out such large scale invasions at this time.
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Resources

History.com Editors. (2020, April 15). Who Were Celts. HISTORY.

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/celts

Ireland Calling. (2020, September 1). Before the Celts - first people in Ireland. https://ireland-

calling.com/history-stone-age-mesolithic-people/

Irish Archaeology. (2013, September 26). Timeline. http://irisharchaeology.ie/work/

Irish History Compressed. (2016, March 15). Timeline of Irish history.

https://www.irishhistorycompressed.com/timeline-of-irish-history/

O’Neill, B. (2020, March 2). Celts Arrive in Ireland - Iron Age Period - History of Ireland. Your

Irish Culture. https://www.yourirish.com/history/ancient/iron-age/the-celts

Worth Ofit. (2013, July 24). Guns Germs and Steel part 1. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i885hopsw6E&feature=youtu.be