Posted on 05/13/2012 6:22:14 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archeologists have uncovered evidence of pre-farming people living in the Burren more than 6,000 years ago -- one of the oldest habitations ever unearthed in Ireland.
Radiocarbon dating of a shellfish midden on Fanore Beach in north Clare have revealed it to be at least 6,000 years old -- hundreds of years older than the nearby Poulnabrone dolmen.
The midden -- a cooking area where nomad hunter-gatherers boiled or roasted shellfish -- contained Stone Age implements, including two axes and a number of smaller stone tools...
The midden was discovered by local woman Elaine O'Malley in 2009 and a major excavation of the site is being led by Michael Lynch, field monument adviser for Co Clare...
The archaeologists are also hoping to establish the make-up of a mysterious substance found during the excavation.
The substance, which is two or three inches deep, disintegrates when it comes in contact with air. A large slab of the material has remained intact on an ancient settlement, indicating that a large amount of it was laid down at once, possibly as the result of a tsunami.
(Excerpt) Read more at irishexaminer.com ...
/bingo
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