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2.2: Iron artefacts on Irish early medieval sites EMAP 2012 found that iron artefacts were present on 173 of the 317 settlement sites within the EMAP gazetteer and are the most frequently found object class (Map 2.1). The durable nature of this material meant that it was used to produce a wide range of common tools, equipment and other objects. These typically included knives; awls; chisels; hammers; punches; axes; saws and tongs. Agricultural tools included sickles; shears; bill-hooks; ploughsocks and plough shares. Ornate objects of personal adornment were nearly always produced in copper-alloy or silver though simple pins and penannular brooches could be occasionally manufactured in iron but these were rarely lavishly decorated. Military artefacts were manufactured in iron and included swords; spear-heads; arrow-heads; shield bosses; and the famous slave collar from Lagore (Hencken 1950, 115–7). Other objects of iron included tweezers; ladles; horse harnesses; buckles; keys and barrel-padlocks; bells; and the ubiquitous iron nail (Comber 2008, 112–3). While many of these objects were functional they also had symbolic power. For example iron knives could be deeply personal objects, sometimes with decorated bone handles and used for a wide range of tasks and were occasionally buried with people. Although iron objects are a very common find on early medieval settlements, they are frequently severely corroded and without the support of X-ray techniques, it is often very difficult to establish their precise size, shape, use as well as details about their construction and decoration (Edwards 1990, 88). 2.2.1: Metallographic Analysis of Artefacts The archaeometallurgical examination of early medieval iron artefacts from sites rarely takes place in conjunction with the analysis of residues. A number of key studies have taken place and have looked at the evidence for the hardness and durability of the objects produced. Making steel required a high carbon alloy which required heating to a critical temperature and then quenching in water to produce steel. Crucially this cutting edge was very sharp but susceptible to breaking. Phosphoric iron typical of what was produced from bogs naturally became hardened as it was worked. Rapid cooling in water did not harden the object (Jones 2009a, 255-265). Scott used chemical and metallographic techniques to examine early medieval iron artefacts from a range of Irish sites. He found that they had significant variations in carbon content and noted techniques such as quenching and welding (Comber 2008, 120). At Killickaweeny work by Photos-Jones demonstrated the craft of the blacksmith in producing objects such as an iron knife and a chisel (Jones 2008b, 53-54). She concluded that while the knife may have been imported the chisel had the ‘fingerprint’ of being made on site. The chisel analysed was made with phosphoric iron with an even carbon content and indicated the smith chose an appropriate bloom for manufacturing based on the objects intended use. A knife from Johnstown was also studied. The hilt and the blade were found to be made from two different blooms containing phosphoric iron. It was a low carbon alloy which matched the slag samples from the site (Photos-Jones 2009, 262). A study of the fifteen iron artefacts from Deer Park Farms found that two objects had successfully quenched and tempered steel within a knife and an axe which had also been looked at by Scott (Hall 2011, 304-14). An awl was made from medium carbon steel. While other knives had low carbon content they would still have provided serviceable cutting edges. The Deer Park Farms objects could have been made by seasonal smiths with limited knowledge of carbonisation or highly skilled smiths who deliberately made harder wearing but not fully hardened objects (ibid. 314). 24
Map 2.1: Evidence for iron-working on early medieval sites in Ireland (numbers refer to EMAP 2012 gazetteer) 2.2.2: Metal-working toolkit Tools such as hammers, tongs, files and punches were all used in the final stages of ironworking though could also be utilised for several other different crafts. However, there is a relative absence of these iron-working tools on early medieval settlement sites but this could be due to the fact that the iron-smith had the capacity to manufacture their own tools and therefore to recycle them when broken (Carlin 2008, 109). Iron metal-working tongs – variously described as pincers or pliers – have been found on at least five sites in the EMAP 25
Page 2 and 3: The Early Medieval Archaeology Proj
Page 4 and 5: Table of Contents Section 1: An Ove
Page 6 and 7: value to excavation reports far bey
Page 8 and 9: Fig. 1.2: Percentages of site types
Page 10 and 11: Map 1.1: Map of site that produced
Page 12 and 13: Map 1.3a: Map of site that produced
Page 24 and 25: Map 1.11: Geological evidence for s
Page 26 and 27: data from over 300 sites, and has p
Page 30 and 31: 2012 gazetteer as well as at Randal
Page 32 and 33: also been found within or close to
Page 34 and 35: superstructure (ibid. 117). A few a
Page 36 and 37: 2.4.1: Smithing Secondary smithing
Page 38 and 39: working furnace at Rathgurreen and
Page 40 and 41: smithing and bloom smithing (827 kg
Page 42 and 43: number of hearths as indicative of
Page 44 and 45: univallate enclosures at Lisleagh 1
Page 46 and 47: Chapter 3: Early Medieval Non-Ferro
Page 48 and 49: Map 3.1: Map showing distribution o
Page 50 and 51: little Irish work has been undertak
Page 52 and 53: 3.2.4: Motif-pieces Stone, antler,
Page 54 and 55: supported by the evidence on most l
Page 56 and 57: needle (ibid. 144-49). However, McE
Page 58 and 59: ferrous metal-working relative to s
Page 60 and 61: glass-working which might suggest t
Page 62 and 63: 93). One decorated millefiori rod a
Page 64 and 65: Map 5.1: Map of Ireland showing evi
Page 66 and 67: handles, some smoothed and undecora
Page 68 and 69: comb of Scottish origin at Castlefa
Page 70 and 71: Chapter 6: Early medieval stone-wor
Page 72 and 73: Grindstones are circular stones wit
Page 74 and 75: North and appear to have been disca
Page 76 and 77: APPENDIX 1 Site Site type Metalwork
Page 78 and 79:
Site Site type Metalworking Residue
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Site Site type Metal-working Artefa
Page 86 and 87:
Site Site type Metal-working featur
Page 88 and 89:
Site Site type Evidence Reference A
Page 90 and 91:
Site name Evidence Reference Athlum
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Armagh: Cathedral Hill, Co. Armagh
Page 94 and 95:
Site name Evidence Reference Ballin
Page 96 and 97:
Site name Evidence Reference Aghade
Page 98 and 99:
Site name Evidence Reference Legget
Page 100 and 101:
Co. Antrim Ballyhenry II, Co. Antri
Page 102 and 103:
Co. Louth Donegore, Co. Antrim Doon
Page 104 and 105:
Co. Monaghan Lisleitrim, Co. Armagh
Page 106 and 107:
Townland/Site Name Site Type Commen
Page 108 and 109:
young lords of territories; six in
Page 110 and 111:
The only ornaments which appear in
Page 112 and 113:
perhaps adopted only by a minority
Page 114 and 115:
Clogher, Co. Tyrone Multivallate pl
Page 116 and 117:
Fig 3.2: brooches by site types (40
Page 118 and 119:
Cloghermore, Dalkey Island, Dooey,
Page 120 and 121:
Of the 216 sites with personal orna
Page 122 and 123:
Glass is the most common material f
Page 124 and 125:
Chapter 8: Manufacturing on Rural S
Page 126 and 127:
weft-beaters or other weaving-relat
Page 128 and 129:
the preparatory stage occurred in t
Page 130 and 131:
Carraig Aille II 33 18 stone, 15 bo
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possible Roestown, Co Meath Non-cir
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Fig. 8.3: Location of sites with ev
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matting. Rush seeds were found in t
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(Lennon 1994, 59), Rathgurreen (Com
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Cherrywood Other Pin slag Collierst
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Significant evidence for metal-work
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Kilkenny 1 1 Longford 1 1 Ulster 13
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Dooey Other Pins bone working evide
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APPENDIX 2 Site Site type Preparati
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Marshes Upper Non-circular Y Y Y Mi
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Bayley, D. 2003:1286. Newtownbalreg
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Brady, N. & Gibson, P. 2005. The Ea
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Chart, D.A. 1940. A Preliminary Sur
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- 1994. Atlantic fortifications: Th
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Delaney, S. 2003:1272. Carn More, F
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Doyle, T. 2008. Hair of the dog. Se
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- 2006b. Archaeological discoveries
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social transformation c. A.D. 500-1
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Papers from the Proceedings of the
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- 2010. Viking elements in Irish to
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- 1999. The Vikings in the Kingdom
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Lennon, A. M. & Henry, M. 2000. Pre
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McCarthy, A. 1986:29. Ballybunion,
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Since the Roman Period. London & Sy
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- 1988. Excavations at Lisleagh Rin
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NAC leaflet. 2011. Steeple Road, An
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Meath. Unpublished report prepared
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- 1951-2a. St. Gobnet’s House, Ba
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- 2005b. Medieval fish traps on the
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- 1953. Preliminary report on Excav
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- 1958. Two souterrains at Bawntaaf
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- 2007. Clonfad 3: A unique glimpse
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Historical Journal, 3, 165-86. Wadd
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- 1971. A Marshland Habitation Site
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Zajac, S. 2002:1382. Carrowkeel, Co
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