Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C515439/1
Agricultural land use in prehistoric Ireland.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor MG Bell, University of Reading, Sch of Human & Environmental Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Reading, Sch of Human & Environmental Sciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Earth
- Overall Classification:
- Earth
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- Science-Based Archaeology
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Palaeoenvironments
- Soil science
- Abstract:
- The proposed project is an investigation into the nature and intensity of agricultural production in Neolithic and Bronze Age Ireland. The focus will be on the Ceide Fields and Belderrig, two areas of extensive Neolithic and Bronze Age field boundaries containing buried land surfaces sealed below up to 4m of peat. Archaeological investigations within the fields have uncovered areas of ard marks together with stone ard shares, demonstrating that the fields were used in part for arable agriculture. Neolithic and Bronze Age cereal pollen occurs throughout the region. Understanding the intensity of Neolithic agriculture is important because increased production is linked with rises in population and with increased social complexity. The creation of field systems is in itself an indication of more formalised land use which may indicate intensification, but land can also be made more productive by adding fertilisers. At present there are two contrasting models with which to compare the Irish evidence: arable land in Continental Europe was intensively fertilised with animal manures from the Neolithic, but in Britain both Neolithic and Bronze Age soils appear to have been fertilised with domestic waste, which would have improved the soil but which is a much poorer quality manure. This indicates a less organised system and hints at lower populations. The Irish system is an anomaly that has not yet been either defined or explained; the extensive field boundaries suggest that a large population was farming intensively, but this has yet to be tested by analysis of the soils. The issue has important implications for understanding the sustainability of early land management practices. Prehistoric farmers are often accused of degrading soil quality and instigating soil erosion, but there is also evidence to show that early farmers can improve soils to the extent that they are still extremely fertile today. Assessing the sustainability of the prehistoric agricultural system is therefore an important aspect of this research.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C515439/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Small Grants
This grant award has a total value of £19,551
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Staff | Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £10,468 | £1,659 | £2,609 | £4,815 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.