The Mesolithic Period

OThe Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age)

OWhat is the Mesolithic Period?

The Mesolithic Period refers to a stage in human history during which people used stone tools and weapons. It is also called the Middle Stone Age.

OWhen did the first people come to Ireland?

The first people came to Ireland in the Mesolithic period (or Middle Stone Age)

OHow did they get here?

The sea level rose after the Ice Age so it is likely they came by dugout canoes or skin-covered boats across the narrow sea from Britain.

OWhat do we know about the Mesolithic people?

1.Houses: They lived in houses made of light branches covered with skins, grass, leaves or plants. There was a hearth or fireplace in the centre of the house (hut).

2.Food and family: These people were hunter-gatherers – they hunted boar, duck and pigeon for food; they caught fish and they gathered berries and nuts. They cooked on a cooking spit.

3.Mesolithic people were nomadic – they moved from one place to another when the food supply ran out.

4.Work and tools: Their weapons and tools were made of stone.

OStone axes were used to cut trees; spears and arrows had sharp flint stones on top; skins were cleaned with scrapers; skins were stitched with bone needles.

OHow do we know about Mesolithic people in Ireland

OExamples of Mesolithic sites in Ireland include Mount Sandel, Co Derry and Lough Boora, Co Offaly. Archaeologists have excavated sites here which showed how Mesolithic people lived.