Dun Ailinne

Excavations at an Irish Royal Site, 1968-1975

By (author) Susan A Johnston By (author) Bernard Wailes

Book cover: Dun Ailinne

Extent: 356 pages

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Museum

Subjects: Anthropology

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(August 2007)

ISBN: 9781931707992

8.46 x 10.98 inches

Price: $95.00

In stock

PDF (Published)

(October 2012)

ISBN: 9781934536407

Price: $95.00

The site of Dn Ailinne is one of four major ritual sites from the Irish Iron Age, each said to form the center of a political kingdom and thus described as “royal.” Excavation has produced artifacts ranging from the Neolithic (about 5,000 years ago) through the later Iron Age (fourth century CE), when the site was the focus of repeated rituals, probably related to the creation and maintenance of political hegemony. A series of timber structures were built and replaced as each group of leaders sought to claim ancient descent from a deep past and still create something unique and lasting. Pam J. Crabtree and Ronald Hicks provide analyses on, respectively, biological remains and Dn Ailinne’s role in folklore, myth, and the sacred landscape, while Katherine Moreau examines bronze and iron artifacts and Elizabeth Hamilton, slag.

  • By (author) Susan A Johnston
  • By (author) Bernard Wailes