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elderford E
elderford Jun 7, 2005 16:38:05
Replying to FourWinds

That is genuinely very interesting Fourwinds.

Because my focus is just on that area of Wales, I just took it for granted that Ireland was heaving with court tombs.

The main arguing as far as I can decern is whether or not the Breconshire ones are derivative of those in the Cotswolds or vice versa.

I'll check my exceedingly dull archaeology reports and check out the dates on those thus excavated. but I'm getting a dim memory of 4,400BC for Gwernvale, Crickhowell.

F FourWinds
FourWinds Jun 7, 2005 18:34:53
Replying to elderford

Court tombs are a northern thing here. There are only four south of Dublin. The majority are in the north (i.e. Northern Ireland) and the NW (Mayo, Sligo & Donegal). The east coast below Dundalk is devoid of them as is much of central Ireland. The strays are oddly scattered in Clare, Waterford, Tipperary and Kilkenny.

The only tomb type found all over Ireland is the wedge tomb. Portal tombs cover the same region as court tombs plus the east coast, but are far fewer in number (180 vs 400 or so)

That date you give would place the tomb around the same age as the mid-age Irish court tombs, which are supposed to range from around 6000bce to 3000bce ish.

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