
Location: Aran Islands, Ireland
Sites Visited: Cliffs of Moher & Don Agneous
This morning we took the Zodiacs out to the Aran Islands. From a distance they are beautiful, all of Ireland, at least the coastline takes your breath away. Yes it is green here, just about every turn. Yes, I got wet the entire way there and I do mean wet. I didn’t seem to care much about it, but I did care about the cold weather. As always this place is just chilly…in May.
I can’t recall the name of the first island we visited, I just know it was part of the Aran Isles, and once again cold-this seems to be the theme of this post. My hands were freezing, particularly from the saltwater from the ocean. I wish I would not have lost my gloves, they were inexpensive, the dollar gloves but in a climate like this you definitely need them. I can’t believe how cold it is here, it is May and I am wearing a hat, gloves, a scarf, and winter coat. They said the warmest temperatures here are around June, July, and August. I just don’t know how? Even our spring months are much warmer than these temperatures here in Ireland.
We visited Don Agneous. Ok, so the hike up there wasn’t that horrible except for the wind we battled on our way up there. We marched over a rugged path part of the way up, then gravel, and then once we reached the site, it seemed to be a narrow, but rocky path of the original limestone rock that blanketed the region. The land seemed so barren, you wonder how people could survive in this terrain. It was impossible to grow plants; so again, the mystery behind survival in this region is up for grabs. I am amazed that people lived there, I mean there is nothing here..but rocks, rocks, and more rocks. I did learn about how they mixed seaweed with sand and tiny bits of dirt to create their own version of soil. But again, it just seems like too much work for a small place.
Archaeologists don’t really know the exact purpose of the stone structure, but they do know it dates back to the bronze age. Ok, so here the two existing theories as explained by Vinny our archeologist:
a) It was a religious worship center/fort. Ceremonial rituals were common during this area. The following facts support this theory:
a) The location of the “ceremonial” gathering is at the top of the hill. Most religions have this understanding of “capstone” of a place means you are higher up to the God/s.
b) There is a large platform in front of the fort. This could be used for animal sacrifice. Animals sacrifices’ were common for religious rites. The cliff was an easy disposal route for the animal.
c) Wide spread of Christianity during this era.
The following would support the later that it was built as a stone fortress base for a small community. Vinny said it did not act as a fort “persay” but possibly a fortress for a small community who wanted to protect themselves from outside invaders.
This is supported by the following:
a) The vertical columns outside the fort which is believe to be used to act as a defense to keep out invaders
b) There were 12 houses/buildings on the island. Though the structures are no longer there, they were at one point. Archeologists have discovered their remains.
c) The multi layered wall systems could be used to act as fortitude of defense. Again attackers would need to traverse over each defense layer.
Vinny said the attack had to be quick as staying out there a while would allow the defenders to call for reinforcements. Thus they would be attacked from the front and the rear. Altogether it was a great site to visit.
This site provided a great learning opportunity for my classroom. The images of the islands combined with the mystery of what this site was used for will allow my students to think like archaolgoists. Looking forward to teaching this lesson...I can't imagine what they will construct in their minds about what they believe to be the truth of what really happened.
Sites Visited: Cliffs of Moher & Don Agneous
This morning we took the Zodiacs out to the Aran Islands. From a distance they are beautiful, all of Ireland, at least the coastline takes your breath away. Yes it is green here, just about every turn. Yes, I got wet the entire way there and I do mean wet. I didn’t seem to care much about it, but I did care about the cold weather. As always this place is just chilly…in May.
I can’t recall the name of the first island we visited, I just know it was part of the Aran Isles, and once again cold-this seems to be the theme of this post. My hands were freezing, particularly from the saltwater from the ocean. I wish I would not have lost my gloves, they were inexpensive, the dollar gloves but in a climate like this you definitely need them. I can’t believe how cold it is here, it is May and I am wearing a hat, gloves, a scarf, and winter coat. They said the warmest temperatures here are around June, July, and August. I just don’t know how? Even our spring months are much warmer than these temperatures here in Ireland.
We visited Don Agneous. Ok, so the hike up there wasn’t that horrible except for the wind we battled on our way up there. We marched over a rugged path part of the way up, then gravel, and then once we reached the site, it seemed to be a narrow, but rocky path of the original limestone rock that blanketed the region. The land seemed so barren, you wonder how people could survive in this terrain. It was impossible to grow plants; so again, the mystery behind survival in this region is up for grabs. I am amazed that people lived there, I mean there is nothing here..but rocks, rocks, and more rocks. I did learn about how they mixed seaweed with sand and tiny bits of dirt to create their own version of soil. But again, it just seems like too much work for a small place.
Archaeologists don’t really know the exact purpose of the stone structure, but they do know it dates back to the bronze age. Ok, so here the two existing theories as explained by Vinny our archeologist:
a) It was a religious worship center/fort. Ceremonial rituals were common during this area. The following facts support this theory:
a) The location of the “ceremonial” gathering is at the top of the hill. Most religions have this understanding of “capstone” of a place means you are higher up to the God/s.
b) There is a large platform in front of the fort. This could be used for animal sacrifice. Animals sacrifices’ were common for religious rites. The cliff was an easy disposal route for the animal.
c) Wide spread of Christianity during this era.
The following would support the later that it was built as a stone fortress base for a small community. Vinny said it did not act as a fort “persay” but possibly a fortress for a small community who wanted to protect themselves from outside invaders.
This is supported by the following:
a) The vertical columns outside the fort which is believe to be used to act as a defense to keep out invaders
b) There were 12 houses/buildings on the island. Though the structures are no longer there, they were at one point. Archeologists have discovered their remains.
c) The multi layered wall systems could be used to act as fortitude of defense. Again attackers would need to traverse over each defense layer.
Vinny said the attack had to be quick as staying out there a while would allow the defenders to call for reinforcements. Thus they would be attacked from the front and the rear. Altogether it was a great site to visit.
This site provided a great learning opportunity for my classroom. The images of the islands combined with the mystery of what this site was used for will allow my students to think like archaolgoists. Looking forward to teaching this lesson...I can't imagine what they will construct in their minds about what they believe to be the truth of what really happened.