Ritual in Late Bronze Age Ireland: Material Culture, Practices, Landscape Setting and Social Context

by Katherine Leonard

This text develops a new perspective on Late Bronze Age (LBA) Ireland by identifying and analysing patterns of ritual practice in the archaeological record. The bookends of this study are the introduction of the bronze slashing sword to Ireland at around 1200 BC and the introduction and proliferation of iron technology beginning around 600 BC. Therefore, it is societal change related to new technology which defines the period discussed as the Irish Late Bronze Age (LBA) herein. Ritual practices find expression in a range of contexts which can be studied separately. However, they require an overarching, integrated ritual system to contextualise and attempt to understand their broader purpose. Similar rituals were consistently enacted in similar locations across the island of Ireland in the LBA. This indicates shared understanding of the way to enact certain rituals as well as shared understanding of what these practices would achieve.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1.0 Addressing ritual in archaeology

1.1 Theorising ritual

1.2 Relationships of identity, social roles and ritual practice

1.3 The materiality of ritual objects

Chapter 2.0 Ritual practice in Late Bronze Age Ireland

2.1 Ritual feasting

2.2 Ritual deposition

2.3 Death ritual

2.4 Fertility ritual

2.5 The identification of ritual practice in Late Bronze Age Ireland

Chapter 3.0 The landscape setting of ritual in Late Bronze Age Ireland

3.1 Ritual in the landscape

Chapter 4.0 The social context of ritual practice in Late Bronze Age Ireland

4.1 Identity, social roles and ritual in Late Bronze Age Ireland

4.2 Exotic items & long-distance socio-political interactions

4.3 Identity and interaction in Late Bronze Age ritual practice

Chapter 5.0 Ritual in Late Bronze Age Ireland

References

242 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2015