Early Ireland

By Michael J. O'Kelly

Book Overview

Engagingly written and packed with illustrations, Early Ireland offers an authoritative introduction to the riches of Irish prehistory - a span of eight thousand years from the end of the Ice Age to the first centuries of the Christian era. It provides a clear account of the development of Irish society from its beginnings as a postglacial culture of hunters and gatherers, through the glory of its golden age in the second millennium BC, to the technological advances stimulated by the discovery of iron and, in the last centuries BC, the growth of a Celtic art style of unrivalled power and individuality. Many of the developments in research and excavation detailed in the book were carried out or initiated by the author himself. In Early Ireland he encapsulates in inimitable style the fruits of more than three decades spent imparting his love and knowledge of Ireland, its people and its antiquities.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521336872
• ISBN13: 9780521336871
• Release Date: April 1989
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Good overview.

It has photographs, maps, etc. on at least every other page. It covers nearly all of the major archeological findings up to the end of the B.C. years. Written in a easily readable style by a person who cares more about the quality of the concrete evidence than making surmises or speculations from it. I would have liked more associations made with what's been found in Britain and the Continent, but it's still a five-star overview.

an excellent resource...thoroughly enjoyable

This book, by the archaeologist who excavated Newgrange, is an excellent resource for anyone interested in European prehistory. Though subtitled "An Introduction to Irish Prehistory," the book does not shy away from indepth scientific and archaeological evidence, either supporting or refuting conventional theories; thus, the book would be better classified as intermediate to advanced. One would be hard pressed to find a better resource of Irish prehistory.