Churches in the Irish Landscape

Download or read book Churches in the Irish Landscape written by Tomás Ó Carragáin and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-05 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between the fifth century and the ninth, several thousand churches were founded in Ireland, a higher density than in most other regions of Europe. This period saw fundamental changes in settlement patterns, agriculture, social organisation and beliefs, and churches are an important part of that story. The premise of this book is that landscape archaeology is one of the most fruitful ways to study them. By considering their placement in relation to pagan ritual sites, royal sites, burial grounds and settlements, we can begin to discern the shifting strategies of kings, ecclesiastics and ordinary people. The result is a new perspective on the process of conversion and consolidation complementary to those provided by historians.