William O'Brien
William O'Brien is Professor emeritus of Archaeology in University College Cork, where he completed doctoral research in 1987 on prehistoric copper mining in Ireland. Prior to appointment to the Cork chair in 2006, he lectured for 16 years in the Department of Archaeology, University of Galway. His research interests include the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Ireland, early mining and metallurgy in Atlantic Europe, upland archaeology, the study of hillforts and all aspects of monumentality in the later prehistoric period. He has a particular interest in the prehistory of south-west Ireland, where he has conducted numerous research excavations. He has published eleven books on such topics as the Mount Gabriel copper mines, on wedge tomb landscapes, on his discovery of the Beaker copper mine at Ross Island, Co. Kerry, on early settlement landscapes and upland farming in the Beara Peninsula, the first overview of the prehistory of the Cork region, the first general book on prehistoric copper mining in Europe, and a study of hillforts, warfare and society in Late Bronze Age Ireland. Recent books examine an early medieval royal site at Garranes, Co. Cork (Archaeopress 2021); a later Bronze Age copper mine at Derrycarhoon, Co. Cork (BAR 2022), and the Baltinglass hillfort landscape in Co. Wicklow (Wordwell 2024). He is an elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Address: Department of Archaeology
University College Cork
Cork city
Ireland
[email protected]
Address: Department of Archaeology
University College Cork
Cork city
Ireland
[email protected]
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Papers by William O'Brien
axeheads. The chronology and cultural background of this first use of bronze is examined through hoard and grave associations, with relevant radiocarbon and ceramic dating evidence. The sourcing of tin is considered in terms of supply within and outside of Ireland. Of particular relevance is an interest in gold in the insular Beaker culture, which led to the prospecting of streams in south-west England, c. 2200–2000 BC and the discovery of major deposits of alluvial tin. Contacts with Cornwall and north-west France were central to the supply of tin and gold to Ireland in that period.
axeheads. The chronology and cultural background of this first use of bronze is examined through hoard and grave associations, with relevant radiocarbon and ceramic dating evidence. The sourcing of tin is considered in terms of supply within and outside of Ireland. Of particular relevance is an interest in gold in the insular Beaker culture, which led to the prospecting of streams in south-west England, c. 2200–2000 BC and the discovery of major deposits of alluvial tin. Contacts with Cornwall and north-west France were central to the supply of tin and gold to Ireland in that period.
This monograph presents the results of an inter-disciplinary project conducted 2011–18, where archaeological survey and excavation, supported by various specialist studies, examined this historic landscape. Garranes is a special place where archaeology, history and legend combine to uncover a minor royal site of the early medieval period. The central ringfort has been identified as Rath Raithleann, the seat of the petty kingdom of Uí Echach Muman, recalled in bardic poetry of the later medieval period. Those poems attribute its foundation to Corc, a King of Munster in the fifth century AD, and link the site closely to Cian, son-in-law of Brian Bóruma, and one of the heroes of Clontarf (AD 1014). This study provides new evidence to connect the location of Rath Raithleann to high-status occupation at Garranes during the fifth and sixth centuries, and explores its legendary associations in later periods.
This is the first project to study hillforts in relation to warfare and conflict in Bronze Age Ireland. New evidence for the destruction of hillforts is connected to territorial disputes and other forms of competition arising from the ambitions of regional warlords, often with catastrophic consequences for individual communities. This project combines remote sensing and GIS-based landscape analysis with conventional archaeological survey and excavation, to investigate ten prehistoric hillforts across southern Ireland. There is also a detailed landscape study of nine examples in the Baltinglass area of Co. Wicklow, often termed ‘Ireland’s hillfort capital’. The results provide new insights into the design and construction of these immense sites, as well as details of their occupation and abandonment. The chronology of Irish hillforts is reviewed, with a new understanding of origins and development. The project provides a challenging insight into the relationship of hillforts to warfare, social complexity and the political climate of late prehistoric Ireland.
The core of the book is a review of the mining sites, commencing with the earliest known examples dating to the sixth and fifth millennia BC in the Balkans. This is followed by a treatment of Chalcolithic and Bronze Age copper extraction in different parts of Europe, from the east and central Mediterranean, Iberia, southern France, Britain and Ireland, the eastern Alps to as far as the Russian Urals. Among the largest mines examined are those in the Mitterberg district in Austria, Kargaly in Russia, the Great Orme in Wales, and those in Cyprus from where the name copper derives.
The archaeology and the geological setting of these mines are considered in detail. There is information on the technological processes of mineral prospecting, ore extraction and metal production, the organization of mining and its impact on the environment. The analysis is broadened to examine the economic relations and societal context of these mines and the distinctive communities involved.
The publication should appeal to those with an interest in the following areas: archaeology, prehistory, geology, mining studies and the history of technology. The regional surveys in the book will attract a specialized readership across Europe, with wider interest from academics working in the fields of archaeometallurgy, geology and mining history.
The earliest known people in the Cork region were small bands of foragers of the Mesolithic age (c.7500–4000 BC). They spread into the south-west region as part of the human colonization of Ireland at the end of the Ice Age. The arrival of new groups in the Neolithic period (4000–2500 BC) introduced the farming way of life, which in time would transform the landscape of Cork. By 2500 BC these farmers had acquired the use of metal and had adopted an international style of pottery called Beaker. This laid the foundations for the Bronze Age (2000–600 BC), an important time for the Cork region when a strong indigenous society developed during sustained population growth and agricultural expansion. This was followed by the Iron Age (600 BC–AD 400), marked by contacts established with iron-using Celtic people on the Continent. Iron Age communities in Cork had only slight contact with the Roman Empire in the early centuries AD, yet these contributed to the adoption of the Ogham script and, in time, would lead to the Christian conversion of the region.
This book presents a broad overview of major developments in human society in the region during the prehistoric period. The reader is introduced to the most important ancient sites and monument, as well as the results of many important excavations undertaken by archaeologists. The most important prehistoric artifact finds from county are considered. Readers will gain a major insight into the early story of Cork, as well as a greater appreciation of the cultural landscape heritage of the county and the archaeology of their own home areas.
The Beara Peninsula in counties Cork and Kerry has a great wealth of archaeological remains, dating from the Bronze Age to medieval times. The hill valleys in this peninsula contain an important landscape record of early agriculture, where ancient fields and settlements have been preserved under the growth of blanket peat. This book considers the land-use dynamics of these upland locations, to explore themes of settlement continuity and change from the late prehistoric to the early medieval period, c.2000 BC–AD1000. It is a timely study of these ancient landscapes, as Irish agriculture is facing major changes in coming years, with potentially serious implications for upland archaeology.
The focus of this study is a detailed examination of a group of megalithic tombs in a defined study area, namely the Mizen peninsula of west Cork. This begins by examining the landscape context of these tombs, including both their physical setting and position in a wider cultural landscape. The environmental analysis proceeds with a chapter contribution from Dr Tim Mighall of Coventry University, who will present an outline vegetational history for the region based on recent pollen studies. This important palaeo-environmental record will also seek to identify human impacts on local vegetation during the prehistoric period, specifically through agriculture and copper mining.
The core of the book will detail the archaeological excavation of two wedge tombs in the Mizen area. The construction and depositional sequence in both tombs will be examined, with sections on tomb structure and stratification, artifact finds and environmental evidence. Together, these excavations provide a new insight into the life-history of wedge tombs, largely due to the innovative application of radiocarbon dating. The excavation evidence will be considered in relation to previous wedge tomb investigations in Ireland, to shed light on the use of these monuments through time. The reports also contain a number of specialist contributions on human bone, artifacts and environmental evidence uncovered in these excavations.
The book concludes with discussion chapters on chronology and depositional patterns, the symbolism of wedge tombs on the landscape and various aspects of their ritual history extending into historic times. Important advances here include the circumstances surrounding votive metal deposition in these tombs and the new evidence they provide of coastal Iron Age settlement in south west Ireland. The settlement context of the tomb builders is examined and various aspects of subsistence economy considered, from involvement in agriculture and copper mining to the exploitation of marine resources. The book concludes by examining the social context of wedge tomb building and use for the final Neolithic/Bronze Age period in south west Ireland. Various models of social organisation are explored and local-regional trajectories linked to contemporary developments in societies across prehistoric Ireland, Britain and the Continent.
This is the first monograph published on the subject of Bronze Age copper mining in north-west Europe. The discovery of these mines in historical times is examined, as are details of their geological and environmental setting. Different aspects of mining technology and organization are considered based on the results of recent geo-archaeological survey and excavatio . The cultural context of these mines in the Bronze Age is explored with reference to the local and regional settlement landscape, and the wider circulation of copper from the mountain. Drawing together the results of a decade of research, the collaboration of many disciplines provides a model for the investigation of ancient copper mines.
The work explores the land-use dynamics of particular locales (‘local worlds’), and so considers themes of settlement continuity and change from the late prehistoric to the early medieval period, c.2000 BC–AD1000. It is also a study of contemporary farming in transition, as Irish agriculture faces major re-structuring in coming years with important implications for archaeology. The future of hill farming in Ireland hangs in the balance, as does the preservation of its long archaeological heritage buried beneath the bog.