The name Eire is also considered to come from Erainn (its name comes from the same root), and it is the main tribe in the southwest of Mü nster mentioned by the Greek historian Ptolemy in Geography (2nd century AD). Irain, also known as Ephraim Ptolemy, later named the Romans Ireland: Ireland. Ireland is the third largest island in Europe (next to Britain and Iceland), and it is divided into Ireland, China (a country) and North Island (a part of Britain) politically.
Ireland is usually called "Ireland" for short. Eire is usually translated as "fertile land" or "fertile land", either referring to the goddess who is believed to live in this area and bless her fertility, or referring to the tribe that Ptolemy claimed to have fertile land.
Early human habitation
Compared with many other countries, Ireland has been uninhabited for much longer. Jonathan Bardon, a historian, commented: "Before the first people came to live in Ireland, human beings had lived in Australia for 40,000 years, which is an amazing idea" (1). Baden and others attributed this to the Midland Ice Age, when its huge ice sheet began to melt only in Ireland. BC 15000.
At that time, only plants and animals that crossed the European continent were submerged when the glaciers melted. Around this time (BC 12000), Ireland and Britain broke away from the European continent. The first people arrived in Colleen, the northernmost part of Ireland, between 7000 and 6500 BC. The Middle Stone Age site of Sandel Mountain was discovered in Colerain in 1973. It is the oldest archaeological site in Ireland.
In the Middle Stone Age, Irish residents were hunter-gatherers. They travel from one area to another in small groups, building wooden houses and villages with domed roofs made of bark and hides. These huts are public huts of large families, with a pot-shaped fire pit in the middle and a circular opening on the roof for smoke exhaust. They use flint to make axes, knives, scrapers, harpoons and arrows.
According to archaeological evidence, it seems that they also participated in ceremonies involving painting themselves and ritual objects. Over time, these hunter-gatherers gradually turned to the agricultural lifestyle. Baden wrote, "From around 4000 BC, the Irish economy began to undergo drastic changes. Prior to this, a small number of scattered populations only lived by foraging, trapping and hunting. Now they begin to clear trees and land to create pastures for livestock and livestock. Cultivation ridge for planting grain "(4).
The first people arrived in Ireland between 7000 and 6500 BC, much later than other countries.
Ceide Fields in Mayo County near Baricaster can be traced back to this time, and it is the oldest known farmland in the world (called field system). Ceide Fields was discovered by Patrick Caulfield, a local teacher, who was harvesting peat from the swamp as a fireplace. He noticed the arrangement of carefully placed stones under the peat swamp layer, which seemed to be a well-thought-out design.
His discovery led to the excavation of the site many years later, and found Neolithic houses, field systems, walls and graves. Neolithic farmers cultivated more and more land, forests and more houses and villages. Baden pointed out that according to archaeological evidence, it is certain that "the dense forest canopy [once] completely covered the island, so that a red squirrel could walk from Malin Head in the northernmost part of Ireland to Mizen Head in Cork. The southernmost tip] without touching the ground ",but now with the prosperity of agricultural communities and more land being cleared to grow crops, this situation has changed dramatically.
Mesolithic wooden houses gave way to painted houses with fences and thatched roofs, such as the one found in Ballynagilly, Tailong County in 1969. It is considered to be the oldest Neolithic house found in Britain or Ireland, and the date is 3700 BC. Not long after this date, people discovered more exquisite houses, including a house in limerick County, Tankatz Town, which was "built entirely of oak boards with corner columns and external roof support" (Bardon, 5). Historian Roger Shovell wrote, "At first, Ireland was virgin land and vacant land", which has been like this for about 3,000 years, but now it has passed (20). The land was tamed and people settled in stable communities.
Myth origin
Although this description of Ireland's past is now considered as early Irish history, this is not always the case. "History" is a word whose meaning changes according to the accepted beliefs of the people who wrote it. For hundreds of years, a series of different events have been regarded as history, and now they are called "the origin of myth". This history began with a book called Lebor Gabala Erenn (The Book of Ireland or The Book of Invasion), which was written at the end of 20th century and the beginning of 2nd century.
This story tells that the early history of Ireland began before the flood, when Cesar, the daughter of one of Noah's sons (Bis, not mentioned in the biblical story of Genesis), was refused to board the ark and fled to Ireland. She arrived with three men and 49 women who drowned with her in the flood. Only one person, Fintan, became all kinds of animals until he became a man again and told his story. The second group of immigrants was led by Padoran, the son of Sarah, the grandson of Japheth (one of Noah's sons in the Bible) after the flood.
They came from somewhere in the East and established a colony destroyed by disease. They all died within a week. Padoran was followed by Norman's son Nimmid, and his ancestors also traced back to Noah through Japheth. They came from scythia and settled in Ireland, but under the leadership of their king Barlow, the cyclops, they were attacked by Formoli people and savage pirates and fled Ireland.
Two hundred years later, Ireland was uninhabited, and then a group of Nemedi people from Greece occupied the land and built houses and fortresses. They were attacked by the magic master and powerful rival Tuatha De Danann (the child of the goddess Dana). Fort Voorburg was defeated by Tuatha De Danann in the battle of Mo Iturra and forced to play for them. Then, another son of Japheth, Noah's son, Fenio, came from Babel, where he combined only the best elements of all the languages in the world he heard there and created Irish, a descendant of his Goidil (pronounced "Gaydel"). He named Gaelic and their language: Gaelic.
Goidil's mother is Scotta, the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, who will establish Scotland (although the founder may be another woman with the same name, her sister), and his grandson is Eber Scott, who conquered the whole of Spain. Scott's son was Mileder (also known as Millisius), who ruled after him. Around the time of Alexander the Great's birth (an event that has become famous for its miracles and wonders in the sky), Mi Leide looked out of his castle and saw Ireland floating on the horizon. He sent his three sons-Melanie, Heber and Il-away from Spain. They conquered Tuatha De Danann and drove them to a place in the world until today.
The three daughters of Enmas, the goddess Tuasha de Danaan-Eliu, Bamba and Fordra-asked Miriam to name the land after them, and this was the result. Miriam's invasion is regarded as the last colonization of Ireland, which conquered this land and established the civilization and culture that the later authors of these stories are familiar with.
Roger Shovell wrote when commenting on this history:
These nursery rhymes not only have folk value. They are synchronized with biblical calculations and integrated into the so-called cosmic history of about 12 century by the author of the book of invasion; They were considered correct throughout the Middle Ages and even later, which is why they are important. No royal family claimed that they had returned to the era of milian, did not do some juggling in genealogy, and claimed [rule] on this basis (20-2 1).
How people in the Neolithic Age viewed their own history, or what their myths might be, is unknown because there is no written record left. The history of "the origin of myth" in Ireland was compiled by Christian scribes based on biblical stories for the purpose of creating national history. As early as the Neolithic Age, Irish people may have been busy building farms and villages for a living without worrying about their past history, or they may not have. Although they didn't write anything, they did leave a story among the huge stone structures found in more magnificent or ordinary forms all over the country, and few of them were as striking as the Neolithic architecture in Brunaboin, Misher County.
megalith
Evidence of pre-literal culture that tells their stories through stone carvings can be seen all over Ireland. However, what these stories are still a mystery. Known as the "New Granci", the huge Stonehenge monument was built in A.D. 1600 ... 3200 BC, followed by the stone passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth. The tomb of the Ravcrewe Passage is also in Misba, dating back to 3500-3300 BC. The Karokil Passage Tomb in sligo County can be traced back to BC. In 3400 BC, the Stonehenge Tomb in Kalomor (also in sligo) can be traced back to earlier (3700 BC), while the Stonehenge Tomb in Poulnabrone (Stonehenge Passage Tomb in Clare County) was earlier (4200 BC).
All these huge stones and magnificent mounds (each older than Stonehenge or the pyramids of Giza) may have been completed by ancestors, great deeds, heroes, leaders and gods, providing evidence of a deep-rooted belief system, but there is no way to know, because the road has not recorded anything. Vortex patterns and other carvings on stones in New Granci and other places, if they mean anything other than decoration, do not explain this problem.
There is no doubt that the New Granci was built for a very special ceremonial purpose. Every year1February, during the winter to the days around, the rising sun directly passes through the entrance above the entrance of the front passage to illuminate the inner room and focus on the niche on the back wall. Just like other monuments mentioned, many theories have been put forward about the service purpose of the new Granci, but none of them is decisive and can't be decisive.
Pohlner Brown's stone tomb and its huge sloping roof stone seem to be built at a certain angle for a specific purpose, perhaps to let the dead soul rest in peace on the way to the underworld, or to stop the uninvited guests from the other side, but no one really knows why the roof stone is inclined. Dr Carlton Jones, who excavated the site, claimed that it might be a "prehistoric billboard" and a grave. He wrote: "When a traveler enters Bolun from the north, most impressive Pohlner Browns will undoubtedly remain in their memory. Please note that they are entering the territory of the Barron tribe "(1).
Nevertheless, this "billboard" theory does not seem to be applicable to every stone tomb in the country. There are nearly 200 stone-supported tombs in Ireland, all of which are inclined-topped stones, which seem to be used as graves rather than "billboards". The largest stone tomb in county donegal (about 3500 BC) is 6 feet high, and the stone at the top is 13 feet long and 20 feet wide. Of course, all these were built without cement, cranes or metal tools.
In the Bronze Age and Celtic Age,
Metal processing developed long after the completion of the megalithic stone. By 2000 BC, it was already a practical craft, which may have been introduced or discovered in 2500 BC. Bronzes and bronzes have replaced early stone ornaments and weapons, and technology has made rapid progress. The technology of wheels and wine-making was introduced into C at about the same time. In 2200 BC. Agricultural tools have been improved, and the land has been reclaimed and cultivated.
The ring of giants is the Henderson Monument in Ballynahatty near Belfast today. It was built around this time (2700 BC) and is often used for ceremonies (it may be a religious ceremony, but the details are unknown). In Scotland, around the same time (2500 BC), a new wave of immigrants introduced flat-bottomed beakers and complex pottery. So many beakers have been found all over Ireland that these unknown immigrants are called "beakers" by archaeologists (because they are also in Scotland).
Beakers may be the mysterious builders of round hill fortresses found all over Ireland, such as Mooghaun Mountain Fortress in Clare County, where the largest gold reserve found anywhere outside the Mediterranean Sea was found, which was discovered in A.D. 1854. The "Great Claire Discovery" is called 800 BC, and it is usually attributed to Celts rather than beaker people, but it is controversial.
With the arrival of Celts in 500-300 BC (maybe earlier), the Bronze Age merged into the Iron Age. This influx was once considered as "Celtic invasion", but this theory has now been abandoned, because Celtic and Irish aborigines seem to be more likely to engage in trade, which leads to cultural spread and Celtic assimilation. Baden wrote:
When did the Celts come to Ireland? Can't give a clear answer, because they don't seem to form a unique race. Celtic civilization may be created by a nation in Central Europe, but it is mainly a culture-a language and a way of life-spread from one person to another. Archaeologists searched in vain for evidence of the dramatic invasion of Ireland, and now they are more willing to consider the steady infiltration from Britain and continental Europe for centuries (12).
According to historian Helen Litton, Celts originated in Central and Eastern Europe in the early Iron Age. "They seem to represent the gathering of different groups in the Bronze Age, focusing on the discovery and use of iron" (19-20). When the Celts arrived in Ireland, they brought knowledge of iron processing, whether gradually or rapidly. They also brought conquest. They came to their war with armed swords, as long as the javelins of other nations and their javelins and tips were more durable than swords, which was called Diodorus in Sicily by Greek historians. They quickly conquered and assimilated the inhabitants of this land and formed Gaelic culture.
St Patrick and the Rise of Culture
The Celts organized their Irish society into the highest-ranking warriors and druids, and everyone else was below them. They built huge fortresses, decorated themselves with gold brooches and cloaks, and told epic stories that would not be written down for hundreds of years, such as the great Irish epic Quetelet of Cooley, featuring the hero Kuchulin and the great Queen Maeve, great kings such as the deeds of Fenian Cycle and Cormac Marquette, the red knight in Ulster Cycle, and the pursuit of epic legends such as Diamonde and Granny.
With the Christian missionary Paradius and others who followed him, such as Albert, Declan, Ibar and Charan, and the famous St Patrick in the 5th century, he came to Ireland with literacy. Paradius and others built a Christian community that valued literacy and became a learning center, but they were not as successful as St Patrick. He escaped from an Irish prison, returned to the bishop and changed the country.
Patrick (about 5th century AD) was a Roman citizen who was captured by pirates from Rome and England and sold to Ireland as a slave. Six years later, he saw a vision of God in his dream and instructed him to leave by boat, so he escaped. He returned to England and his family, but in his dream, he was called to leave his land and go back to Ireland to preach the gospel. Patrick did more than just convert pagan Ireland into Christianity; He popularized this belief and carefully combined it with Celtic myths and Irish legends he knew so as to be assimilated more easily.
It is said that in 432 or 433 A.D., he lit a bonfire on Mount slane, opposite Mount Tara, announcing the introduction of Christianity into the country, ignoring the decree of the Supreme King Laghall prohibiting any kindling. In the evening, the flame of Druidism was kept in Tara to celebrate Ostara Festival. The faith announced by St Patrick that night will change Ireland in many ways, perhaps most importantly in the cultural field. In the process of spreading Christian information in this land, St. Patrick sowed the seeds of Christian community and became a place of learning and a center of knowledge.
The supreme king and the law
Standing at an altitude of 646 feet (65,438+097 meters) in Talamish County, the Irish Supreme King unveiled the veil of stone of destiny at the summit. Legend tells how Ireland was divided between two victorious brothers, Eber and Elmont, after Miriam defeated the lizard Dedanaan. Eremon occupied the north and Heber occupied the south. They lived a quiet life until Heber's wife wanted Tara, the most beautiful mountain in the land, which belonged to Emmon, and Emmon's wife refused her tea.
The two women dragged their husbands into an argument and they started a war. Heber was killed and Raymond took his land. Tea also died at this time, and was named after the hill and burial place she had defended. One explanation for Tara is the corruption in the teahouse and the grave of tea. Hill of Tara later thought it was a very respectable reason, and believed that it was made by Tuhad Danan, who lived in the valley on the ground and used magic to prevent Leah from landing centuries ago.
After the Celtics arrived, these beliefs continued to be observed, and their king was crowned in Lia Fail according to the custom. Among the early prehistoric kings, there was a legendary Kang En Sithathachi, whose grandson was legislator Cormac Makat. Brehon Laws (also known as Brehon Codes and Fenechas) is the earliest law in Ireland, which was written by Marquette sometime during his reign (AD 227-266). The name comes from Brehon, which means legislator. These laws are interpreted by judges. They are regarded as the most advanced and fair laws in history (including ancient codes, such as Ullner Code or code of hammurabi from ancient Mesopotamia). According to the historian Loretta Wilson, "almost every relationship between people and every subtle relationship, society and morality," (1).
The law provides justice for all people, regardless of their social status, and upholds the independence and dignity of women that Ireland has long observed. When the historian Lloyd Duhaime wrote an article about the law of Brehon, he pointed out that "women and men are on an equal footing, and they are qualified to engage in the highest occupations, including soldiers, priestesses and judges ... In marriage, women and husbands become partners, not the property of the latter" (2). Cormac Marquette is considered as one of the greatest kings in ancient Ireland. If not the greatest king, he is not only famous for his laws, but also initiated construction projects as great as Tara's halls and fortresses and as simple as the riverside mill. His Brillouin law was later revised and compiled by St. John.
The achievements of St. Patrick and Cormac McCarter, like most of Ireland's early history, are mixed with myths, as is the descendant of McCarter, Ui Neill, which is the most outstanding dynasty in Ireland for centuries. Ui Neill is a descendant of Niall Noigiallach (more people call him Niall, with nine hostages). As his name indicates, he is a powerful king, enough to take a hostage from each of the five provinces of Ireland and a hostage from the British, Franks and Scots. The oldest relic on Mount Tara is the hostage tomb, which can be traced back to 1 1 year. In 3000 BC. The name comes from the exchange of hostages between the king and the chief at the scene. The more hostages are taken to ensure the good behavior of potential opponents, the stronger and safer the ruler is.
The Viking Age in Ireland
Like the legendary Heber and Elimon, Unnier divided the country into Unnier in the north and Unnier in the south. Ui Neill defended the land against the increasing Viking attacks along the coast, built forts and towers, and developed the land. The Viking era in Ireland began with the first recorded attack on the coast of antrim in 795, and ended in 10 14 when the great Irish king Brian Brou (941-10/4) defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Crontaft. Although Brou was called the king who drove the Vikings out of Ireland, it was not the case. The Vikings established many permanent settlements, the most famous of which was Dublin, and continued to play a role in Irish history after Crontaft.
The legend that Boru drove the Vikings out of this land originated from the fact that he defeated the joint forces of the Vikings in Brou and the Irish enemy at Crontaft. After that, the Viking power was broken, and the Irish monarchy, such as Unier, continued to grow. They had ruled before Brou came to power. After their death in the Battle of Crontaft, Unnier regained control of the land, but their strength was weakened. 1 169 Norman invasion and 1 17 1 after the rule of King Henry II of England, their power was further weakened, just like other Irish aristocracy.
St Patrick may start preaching in Ireland. In 432 AD; Soon, monks began to copy any books they could find.
In the past ten years, British rule in Ireland has gradually become more tyrannical. In A.D. 1368, according to the kilkenny Act, the Brittany Act was banned. The clans such as Ui Neill, who once enjoyed a high reputation, tried their best to hold their ground until the British policy called Ulster Plantation was adopted in the 7th century.
According to this policy, after Hugh O 'Neill's Kinsell Battle in 160 1 and the Earl's escape in 1607, Gaelic Catholic chiefs and their families took away some of the 500,000 acres of the best land. The plantation policy tried to replace the Irish Catholics in this land with English Protestants and achieved success. Coupled with other rules, laws and restrictions imposed on the Irish, it was not until the year 192 1 that the Irish people regained a certain degree of freedom and autonomy that they knew before the Norman invasion.
Irish tradition
Despite the severe measures taken by Britain, the Irish endured and prospered for centuries. They found ways to protect their language, law and culture, which have been banned and forced to go underground. Their success is attributed to the foundation laid by St. Patrick and early Christian missionaries centuries ago.
Culture flourished in the center of Irish monasteries and eventually produced masterpieces of sacred art, such as the illuminated manuscript of the book of C. kells. In 800 ad. Great monasteries and communities, such as Clanmacnoise and Glendalough, were built in the middle of the 6th century, just over a hundred years before St Patrick's arrival. Irish monasteries not only encourage literacy in the country; They will save the heritage of western civilization.
In the west, the Roman Empire perished on September 4, 476, when the Roman emperor romulus Augustus was deposed by the Germanic king in Odoacer. Due to the crisis in the third century (235-284), the empire was more or less in turmoil. In 285 AD, this empire was divided into two empires, East and West. The centuries of stability provided by Rome are gone forever, and religious factions have intensified the chaos of barbaric invasion and threatened the great libraries of the ancient world. It is believed that St Patrick started his missionary work in Ireland. Soon after, in 432 AD, monks began to copy any books they could find. Thomas Cahill, author of How Ireland Saved Civilization, wrote:
The Irish, who have just learned to read and write, have made great efforts to copy all western literature-everything they can touch. These scribes then became the channels for spreading Greek-Roman and Jewish-Christian cultures to European tribes, who resettled in the ruins of their submerged civilization. Without the services of a scribe, everything would be unimaginable. Without the mission of Irish monks, they single-handedly rebuilt European civilization in exiled bays and valleys, and the world after them would be a completely different world-a world without books (4).
It seems exaggerated that Irish monks saved civilization, but historical records prove otherwise. Although agricola launched a plan to invade Ireland, and archaeological discoveries also unearthed evidence of Roman residence (Roman coins, tombs and tools), the invasion never happened. Ireland was abandoned by the empire and was basically unaffected by the decline of the empire. In the safe area of the island and within the walls of their communities, monks gather together to protect neglected or destroyed books on the mainland and preserve the past for the future.