Thomas R.
Kerr
Works authored
Contributions to journals
This paper examines the role of warfare in early medieval Ireland in the period before the arrival of the Vikings. The approach taken compares the information available in the various annalistic records, AD 600–800, with the recovered archaeological evidence. Four archaeological indicators of warfare are considered – the defensive structures of the period; the location of the battle-site; the types of weapons used; and evidence of weapon trauma in the osteological record. The main site type is generally interpreted as a defensive farmstead; none of the 300+ battles recorded in the annals for these two centuries have been identified beyond the putative townland; few weapons that can be definitively ascribed to the seventh or eighth centuries have been found; and no mass battle-field graves have been located. Martial prowess and military victories are, however, quite clearly seen as important vindicators of an individual’s position (and also that of his subsequent lineage).
This paper examines the role of warfare in early medieval Ireland in the period before the arrival of the Vikings. The approach taken compares the information available in the various annalistic records, AD 600–800, with the recovered archaeological evidence. Four archaeological indicators of warfare are considered – the defensive structures of the period; the location of the battle-site; the types of weapons used; and evidence of weapon trauma in the osteological record. The main site type is generally interpreted as a defensive farmstead; none of the 300+ battles recorded in the annals for these two centuries have been identified beyond the putative townland; few weapons that can be definitively ascribed to the seventh or eighth centuries have been found; and no mass battle-field graves have been located. Martial prowess and military victories are, however, quite clearly seen as important vindicators of an individual’s position (and also that of his subsequent lineage).
