The Environmental Context and Function of Burnt-Mounds: New Studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh

Directionality and axiality in the Bronze Age: cross-regional landscape perspectives on ‘fire pit lines’ and other pitted connections

“…Heidelk-Schacht [1989]; Henriksen [2005, 85, 89]; Kristensen [2008, 38]). In this sense, they are comparable to the burnt mounds or 'fulachtaí fiadh' from Britain and Ireland that are known from the Middle to Late Bronze Age (Hawkes 2014;Brown et al 2016).…”

Analysis of a brown earth palaeosol and derived sediments associated with a Mesolithic pit, a Late Neolithic – Early Bronze Age burnt mound and an Early Bronze Age burnt mound on Exmoor, UK

“…A radiocarbon date from Quercus charcoal provided a date of 2346 -2138 cal BC (95.4%) (SUERC-56652 (GU35968)), although an old wood effect should be considered possible given the identification of trunk wood. Brown et al (2016) also recorded the use of Alnus in burnt mound deposits from Ireland, associated with the clearance/exploitation of wet woodland, alongside Mighall et al (2018) showing use of Quercus and Alnus branch wood as wood fuel in a burnt mound in Northern Ireland. 103) interpretation: this context is the earliest in the burnt mound sequence excavated, containing burnt rock fragments and charcoal.…”

Landscape in the Longue Durée

“…Gent's functionalist interpretation suggests that the Burlescombe mounds may have been used for some 'form of industrial activity, such as the production of textiles' (Gent 2007: 43). Brown et al suggest a similar function for cleaning and dyeing wool or plant fibres and for hide cleaning and tanning for Irish burnt mounds (Brown et al 2016). This seems very unlikely at Jacob's Well.…”

“…Perhaps this drying out might have enabled easier access to, and in part facilitated, the later burnt mound activity, which itself may be a part of the process of opening up the landscape and clearing the wetter areas of woodland on floodplains and around springs (cf. Brown et al 2016).…”