Contents
Illustrations
Tables
Preface and Acknowledgments
Chronological Chart
Summary of the Excavation
Bernard Wailes
1 Excavation Strategy
Bernard Wailes
The Site
Aerial Photographs
Descriptions Prior to 1968
The "Royal Sites" in 1968
The Initial Exploratory Season, 1968
The Perimeter Bank and Ditch
The 1968 Exploratory Season: Conclusion
Excavation: Methods
Excavation: Some Interpretative Issues
2 Excavation of the Summit Area
Bernard Wailes
Blue Phase (Layer)
Neolithic and Bronze Age: Tan Phase (Features)
Neolithic and Bronze Age: Khaki (Features)
Iron Age Features
White Phase
Rose Phase
Lemon Phase
Mauve Phase
Iron Age Layers/Surfaces
Miscellaneous Features of Unknown Date
Post-Iron Age Activities
The Iron Age Summit Sequence: Review and Discussion
The Summit Area: Summary and Interpretation
3 Perimeter Survey and Excavation
Bernard Wailes
Summary
Bank and Ditch: Survey
Bank and Ditch: Excavation
Entrance Area: Survey and Excavation
Perimeter: Chronology
4 Features and Artifacts Summary
Susan A. Johnston
General Distribution of Features
General Summary of Features
Artifact Associations
Neolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Missing and Discarded Artifacts
5 Lithic Remains
Susan A. Johnston
Introduction
General Context: Flint, Chert, and Quartz
Implements
Unretouched Flakes
Raw Material
Chronology and Context
Parallel Sites
Stone Axes
6 Ceramics
Susan A. Johnston
Neolithic Pottery
Linkardstown Vessel
Other Neolithic Pottery
Typological Parallels
Parallel Sites
Food Vessel
Clay Pin
7 Iron
Susan A. Johnston
General Context
Description, Iron Objects
8 Non-ferrous Metals
Copper Alloy: Introduction
Susan A. Johnston
Report On Copper Alloy Objects
G. C. Fisher
Gold
Susan A. Johnston
Gold Decorative Strip
G.C. Fisher
9 Glass
Susan A. Johnston
General Characteristics
Description
Glass Working?
Parallel Sites and Chronology
10 Worked Bone
Pam J. Crabtree and Douglas V. Campana
Catalog of Worked Bone Objects
Conclusions
11 Miscellaneous Objects
Susan A. Johnston
Cupmarked Stone
Lignite Objects
Rounded Stone and Clay Objects
Stone Beads
Spindle Whorls
Whetstones
Uncertain Objects
Probable Natural Objects
12 Specialist Analyses
Slag
Susan A. Johnston
Report on the Slag from D¿n Ailinne
Elizabeth Hamilton
Metallography of Bronze Artifacts
Katherine Moreau
Metallography of Iron Artifacts
Katherine Moreau
Floral Remains from D¿n Ailinne
Pam J. Crabtree
13 Biological Remains
Pam J. Crabtree
Mammal Remains
Materials and Methods
Composition of the Faunal Sample
Species Ratios
Body Part Distributions
Kill Patterns
Measurement
Butchery
Bone Working
Dairying in the Iron Age: An Alternative Approach
Conclusions
14 Medieval and Modern Objects
Susan A. Johnston
15 Chronology
Susan A. Johnston
Artifact Dates
Absolute Dates
16 D¿n Ailinne's Role in Folklore, Myth, and the Sacred
Landscape
Ronald Hicks
Folklore
Myth
Assembly Sites
The Larger Ritual Landscape
The Ritual Year
Female Figures at the Assembly Sites and Their Festival
Roles
Astronomical Aspects of the Sites and Landscape
Summary and Conclusions
17 The Larger Archaeological Context
Susan A. Johnston
The Royal Sites of Ireland
Other Royal Sites?
Other Parallels
18 The Social and Cultural Context Of D¿n Ailinne
Susan A. Johnston
Neolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
What Kind of Ritual?
Relations of Power?
Directions for Future Research
References Cited
Contributors
Index