Armagh and the Royal Centres in Early Medieval Ireland: Monuments, Cosmology, and the PastEvidence suggests that the middle of the first millenium AD was a significant period in Irish history: a time of increasing political centralisation and the erosion of Iron Age belief patterns and social structures. In this persuasive thesis Aitchison proposes a date of AD500 as a cut-off point between Iron-Age and Early Medieval Ireland. His primary interest lies in this latter society with its new political organisations. He highlights monuments as a focus for study and argues that they have been been poorly defined and understood in the literature. He argues that a monument, while it is a reminder of the past, may also be invested with new ideological significance by a later society. Within this framework he investigates the way in which the Early Medieval Irish invested much older monuments with ideological meaning and uses Armagh and other royal centres as a vehicle for analysing central themes of early Irish history. The book coincides with a resurgence of archaeological interest in the sites of Armagh and the Navan Fort and includes a formidable bibliography. |
Contents
The Loughnashade Co Armagh sheet bronze horn c first century | 4 |
Archaeology and History | 7 |
Garranes Co Cork plan of the multivallate fort possibly Ráith Ráith | 11 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
according activity annalistic annals Annals of Ulster appears archaeological Armagh assembly association attested authority belong boundary Byrne Cathedral central century Christian church claims cóiceda comprise concept concerning construction context cosmological crosses division early medieval period earthworks ecclesiastical ecclesiastical settlement Emain Macha enclosure entries epic literature evidence example excavation existence expressed Figure foundation four Hill historical Hughes ideological important indicate interpretation Ireland Irish Iron Iron-Age king kingship Knockaulin late later literary Macha meaning monuments mythological nature Navan Navan Fort northern Óenach origins pagan past Patrick political portrayed possible present presumably processes Ráith recorded Rees reference relations represent result ritual royal centres scheme secular significance social society sources southern spatial organization status Street structures suggests symbolic Tara tion Tírechán tradition trans Trian Uí Néill Ulaid Ulster Cycle