Irish Archaeology 500 A.D. - 1500 A.D.

Duration: 10 weeks, Wednesday 7-9pm
Qualification: WIT Certificate of Completion
Cost: €175
Closing Date of Application: 15 September 2006

This course deals with the material culture of Ireland from the collapse of the Roman empire through the Anglo-Norman invasion and the establishment of their colony in Ireland. The aim of this course is to provide students with an overview, which allows them to place archaeological material within these chronological and theoretical contexts. This overview is accompanied by a detailed series of studies of the evidence from the south-east which should enable students to relate the archaeology of the region to the national picture as a whole.

Objectives:

> to outline the key developments in the archaeology of this period
> to discuss the secondary literature
> to suggest areas for future research

Course Content:

> Sources for the medieval archaeology of Waterford
> Roman presence in the south-east of Ireland
> Early ecclesiastical sites from south-east Ireland - county surveys
> Aerial photography and Ordnance Survey maps
> Art historical approaches to design and manufacture
> Urban archaeology and development priorities - the example of Waterford
> Viking raids and the establishment of longphorts
> Woodstown - archaeology in the context of road development
> Viking Dublin, Wexford and Waterford
> Museum records and research resources - The Granary
> St Peter's of Waterford and its parallels in Ireland and abroad
> The Anglo-Norman invasion: Mottes and castles
> The archaeology of architecture
> Rural settlement in medieval Ireland: manors and tower houses
> Field work and surveying in the South-east
> Pottery studies in Waterford and the South-east.