Tracing environmental, climatic and social change in Neolithic Ireland

Abstract

This paper reviews archaeological and palaeoecological evidence for environments and climate in Neolithic Ireland (4000–2500 BC) and considers their complex relationships with contemporary social change. The introduction of farming into Ireland fundamentally changed how society was organised and the environments in which people lived. It is not yet clear if climatic change played a role in the initial uptake of farming during the Early Neolithic or in its decreased signal during the Middle-Later Neolithic. This issue is explored using evidence from archaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, palynology, palaeolimnology, organic residues, stable isotopes and sediment geochemistry. Climate reconstructions from northern Europe and the North Atlantic region further contextualise evidence for environmental change in Ireland. Integrated analysis of these diverse datasets does not reveal straightforward links between changing climatic conditions and human activities. Instead, this study highlights the complexities and challenges of an interdisciplinary approach and the need for additional high-resolution data.