There and back again – A geoarchaeological reassessment of three Mesolithic sites on the east coast of Ireland

This thesis presents the process and results of a research aimed at reassessing the state of knowledge and archaeological potential of three Later Mesolithic sites identified as “shell middens”, and excavated on the east coast of Ireland between 1946 and 1970: Rockmarshall, Co. Louth; Sutton and Dalkey Island, Co. Dublin. Despite their importance in the academic literature, the records for these sites are relatively scarce and reflect the standards of the era, and the current state of preservation of these sites is unknown. The research objectives and questions were twofold: 1. To update the state of knowledge by reviewing the existing material for each site – what do we know about its archaeology? To answer this question, the archival material was systematically reviewed, and the assemblage in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology was analysed using a standardised methodology, including a detailed lithics analysis. 2. To assess the sites’ potential for future research by implementing minimally-invasive (geo)archaeological methods – what archaeology is left there? This objective was tackled by developing a multi-method approach adapted to the characteristics of each site. This approach combined an array of surveying techniques (Digital Surface- and 3D-Modelling; resistivity; magnetometry; Ground-Penetrating Radar; coring; surface collection) with geo)archaeological field intervention and analysis, including section cleaning and recording, radiocarbon dating, soil pH, animal and plant remains analysis and charcoal identification, and soil micromorphological analysis. Results indicate that shell accumulation occurred during a protracted period of the Later Mesolithic on all three sites, and did not continue during the Early Neolithic. Potential for further research is very significant, with shell layers surviving in situ on all three sites, and crucial information still to be extracted from temporarily inaccessible material. Despite fundamental limitations, current models of relative sea-level change challenge the existing interpretation of the sites. More widely, categories such as “shell midden”, but also “Mesolithic” and “hunter-gatherer” reflect contemporary values and contribute to reduce the lives of past people to the fulfilment of basic needs, while the role played by the missing data is not discussed.