Seanchus of Celtic Ireland - 3
8300 BC - 6500 BC
8,300 BC The giant Irish deer (Megacerous) during this time became extinct, and reindeer also disappeared altogether from Ireland, as the conclusion to this particular 700 years of Ice Age was by now drawing to a close, and the Upper Dryas Cold Phase came to an end, which was to bring about the most important single environmental change in Human history. Vast areas soon become open range, while trees such as birch and pine continued to increase rapidly in Northern Europe and Ireland, as more and more of the lowlands were flooded by the ongoing rising Seas.
The Magdalenian Culture that had by now existed for 8,200 years began to disappear in Europe, and the hunters there began to follow the reindeer further northwards into Denmark and Northern Germany. In the Mediterranean Basin, where the changes were less notable, the Gravettian Culture, that had by now existed for 19,000 years, along with other such hunter based cultures still continued to evolve.
8,000 BC Mesolithic peoples, (who were to be late hunters), occupied the whole of the Mediterranean region, and the Ice Cap that was still covering Ireland that connected it to Alba / Scottish Highlands, finally melted away, as the seas continued to rise, and the Irish Sea appeared now as a distinct entity. (Human remains from this period, were to be found in more modern times in Co. Sligo in the north - west of the Connacht Province, and also in Co. Offaly in the north - west of Southern Leinster). These remains were of the first nomadic hunters in Ireland, who by this period in time had migrated from out of Europe and spread out all over Ireland and they had weapons of flint arrows and knives, (There was also evidence that sheep and cattle were in Ireland at this time). The Ice Sheets were continuing to melt further northwards with hazel and pine trees also appearing in the forests in Ireland.
It was also during this time that the first recorded walled city, Jericho was being constructed in the Near East composed of walls 13’ high with lookout towers, and following on from this there were also to be settlement in towns there. (The actual original Tower 26' / 8 metres high still exists today). The Emmer Wheat variety had also by now been domesticated and was being grown in the Jordan Valley, while Barley was being grown in the Fertile Crescent.
From now on change was to occur to their way of life, as hunter gathers became herders and farmers, and this change of life style was to allow these new age Humans to become pre - eminent over other species, as they became more and more involved in agriculture, and this would then lead on to the creation of established population growth (communities) within a confined area. The first Wild Wheat was grown and harvested in the region that is now Turkey, and the domestication of cattle during this period was to be another step forward, as it would furnish these new combined populations with meat, milk and hides. It also presented the opportunity of having access to beasts of burden, and with the invention of the wheel later on by the Sumerians, and following on from this the introduction of wagons, it was to provide over - land transport and organized migration. They would then have the resources to become more mobile, and migrate to new lands much further away, and at a much faster pace. Another great advance would be the introduction of the plow by the evolving Celtic / Keltoi people, which would improve all agricultural practices further and greatly expand population growth even more.
7,500 BC The seas by now had risen, once again, to 98' / 30 metres below their present level as the Ice Sheets continued to melt.
7,490 BC At this time there was evidence of a primitive settlement found in more modern times at Wood Park in Co. Sligo in the north - west of the Connacht Province in Ireland,
7,000 BC Jericho the original walled 1,000 year old City was destroyed and abandoned at this time, but it would be reclaimed and rebuilt once again after 300 years.
This was the Early Mesolithic Period, and stone axes were being used and hunter - gatherers now appeared in Ireland without domestic animals or farming skills, living mostly along the coast and the waterways. Human remains from this period were to be found in more modern times in the far north of Ireland in the Lower Bann Valley near Coleraine / Cuil Rathain in Co. Derry in the north - east of the Ulster Province and in the south - west in the River Shannon Estuary between Co. Clare and Co. Kerry in the Munster Province. These hunter gathers were spread out in the north - east along the coast of Co. Antrim in Ulster and following the River Bann upstream to Loch Neagh. They were also settled along the shore of Loch Larne to the north of Belfast / Beal Feirste (The Mouth of the Sandy Ford) also in Co. Antrim in the north - east of Ulster where they were also chipping flint for tools. The Peat - lands were by now forming in the Midlands / Midhe / Co. Meath and Co. Westmeath in Northern Leinster, were later on alder, birch, elm, hazel, lime, oak, pine and willow trees were to also appear.
The remains of Mesolithic settlement were also to be found at Mount Sandel / Dun da Beann, and at the The Fort of the Peaks in Co. Derry in the north - east of the Ulster Province from this period, where they were using small flint blades (microliths), and where they were hunting birds, fish, wild boar and gathering hazelnuts. Other sites recorded were at Loch Boora near Kilcormac / Cill Chormaic (Cormac's Church) in Co. Offaly in the north - west of Southern Leinster where flints and axe - heads were being used, and also in the Blackwater Valley in the south of the Munster Province.
6,500 BC During the Mesolithic Age the continuing melting Ice Sheets created what is now the English Channel, and the land bridge that previously exited across the rising watery divide disappeared completely, and this removed any further land access to Albion / Briton and Alba / Scottish Highlands also from the Continent, as all of the animals continued to move northwards. Also the flora and the fauna, which had previously existed in Ireland during this period, was to predate that in Briton, being 30% less, due to the land mass there still being previously connected also to Europe by a land bridge, and the continuing transmigration there. The peat bogs in Ireland, which were to be up to 30’ deep were still forming and the great elks, wolves, bears and wild boar were at this time still roaming throughout Ireland. (Horns of the great elk were to be found, in more modern times, west of Shercock / Searcog in Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster at Loch Sillan near the Co. Monaghan border). The people who existed in Ireland during this period were tall, fair, broad with red hair and were hunters and fishermen, who had crossed over from the west of Alba / Alban / Alpa / Albu / Scottish Highlands) into the north of Ireland.
This was also to be around the same time in which the wheel was to be invented by the Sumerians that was to have a great impact on transmigration of all the different peoples who were to seek out new territories as their individual populations continued to expand.
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