The application of GIS, predictive modelling, and morphological analysis to further understand cave use in Neolithic Ireland

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of two archaeological predictive models applied to two geographic regions in Ireland - North Connaught and Munster. The main aim of the project was to identify caves that were most likely to have been chosen as places of Neolithic funerary activity. This was achieved using a non-invasive assessment strategy, consisting of data collection through field visits and desk-based research. In a juxtaposed setting, internal morphological characteristics of caves were used in a cognitive-deductive predictive model, whereas external environmental factors were used in a second, correlative-inductive predictive model. Several archaeological predictive modelling and survey methods were critically evaluated and adapted for this project, including cognitive modelling approaches and cave survey techniques. The resulting model for North Connaught forms a new approach to cognitivedeductive archaeological predictive modelling. Fieldwork was a major component of this thesis and encompassed detailed recording and surveying of numerous caves, mainly in the northwest of Ireland but also in the south where almost all caves of Neolithic significance are located. The catalogue presented here is the first extensive record of relict caves in the northwest of Ireland. Cave archaeology in Ireland is a relatively new sub-discipline. The majority of sites identified thus far as places of Neolithic activity were discovered during antiquarian excavation campaigns. This thesis seeks to employ a more pro-active approach in identifying caves that are likely to contain Neolithic deposits. This is the first major attempt to target likely caves rather than react to chance finds. In fact, the discovery of human remains of Neolithic date in a cave on Knocknarea Mountains, Co. Sligo, one of the most iconic Neolithic ritual landscapes in Ireland, has led to new interpretations of the relationship between natural places and monuments.