EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

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EMAP Report 6.1 deals with the archaeological evidence for industrial activity on secular sites
in early medieval Ireland. It is comprised of four main sections. The first section provides a
general overview of the creation of the report, including general distribution maps and
histograms. The archaeological evidence for industrial activity is covered in fuller detail in
sections two and three. Section 2, prepared by Matt Seaver, examines the evidence in greater
depth for specific industrial activity, namely iron-working, non-ferrous metal-working, glassworking,
and antler/bone-working. This is accompanied by comprehensive tables outlining
the site evidence for the major industrial activities. Section 3, prepared by Maureen Doyle,
looks at the production of items of personal ornamentation and decoration. Rather than
adopting a single-material approach, this section examines the production of different types
of artefact. Thus ‘pins’ are discussed together, whether they were made of bone, antler,
bronze or iron, since they performed a similar function. The final section consists of a site
gazetteer of industrial activity in early medieval Ireland. This includes over 300 secular sites,
and contains substantial tables outlining the evidence for craft activity, as well as the types of
artefacts recovered from the site. Much of the evidence for industrial activity in the gazetteer
is derived from reports which have not been fully published, i.e. the large body of ‘grey
literature’ that has emerged during the last two decades.
The investigation of industrial activity shows that certain early medieval secular site-types
produced more evidence than others. It also suggests that there was a hierarchy of industrial
activity, with perceived high status sites producing more prestigious materials – such as nonferrous
metals or glass. There is also a suggestion of a degree of regional patterning, most
clearly indicated by the distribution of shale-working sites, but also possibly influential in the
location of iron-working sites. The findings indicate that secular sites played a substantial role
in early medieval craft and industry, a fact that is often overlooked due to a focus on the
production-levels of ‘monastic towns’, and latterly, Hiberno-Norse settlements.
The authors would like to thank all those excavators and specialists whose reports are
referred to prior to their final publication and especially the Heritage Council (INSTAR) which
financed the project.
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