Wednesday 26 August 2015

Scariff Library Archaeology Workshop

The workshop, which took place on Tuesday the 25th of August 2015, began with a talk from Nora (the archaeologist) on the Game of Time to explain the different periods of time from the Stone Age Hunters up to the Neolithic, the Bronze Age and on to the present day. Evidence collected from the different periods help us to understand the changes through time. Nora explained how the first travelers to Ireland lived by the sea and rivers, and how people didn’t learn how to farm for 2000 years when animals such as cows are horses were introduced to Ireland. Different objects such as a clay pipe, goat and sheep skulls, a metal bell, bones and pottery were passed around for inspection. Following a discussion on pottery the children made their own pots out of clay to take home.

From here the children were ready for their first dig. Nora explained that any archaeological dig requires a licence so all the paperwork had to be filled in first. The children then worked in teams with various pieces of equipment to retrieve any objects and put them in the Finds Tray. The idea is to work slowly so that you things won’t be missed. When all the objects were found the children then had to fill in the description of the objects on the Artefact Record Sheet. Children experienced the thrill of discovery in a mock up archaeological dig under the supervision of a professional archaeologist. This was a free event and was enjoyed by all!

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