This book is written by and mainly for archeologists, but its accessible style will also make it attractive to general readers with a strong interest in Irish history and culture or the early
Middle Ages. Its eight chapters look at the history of archeology in Ireland, early medieval dwellings and settlements, the early church, farming, crafts and technology, trade and exchange, and
death and burial. A final chapter offers conclusions. Color photographs throughout show aerial views of sites, artifacts, and features of interest. The writers are clear both about what is and
isn’t known, and the new discoveries which are possible with new tools such as DNA evidence. Points made include that the adoption of Christian practices were slow and varied a lot among
communities, and Irish society changed enormously in the fifth to sixth centuries. A very large rear section offers many tables and comprehensive appendices of evidence: sites, coins, raths,
trackways, Roman materials, antlerworking, metalworking, and so on. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
