Filling the gaps: a chronology of Bronze Age settlement in Ireland.

Some recent significant work has been carried out using 'big data' to analyse chronological trends within prehistoric Ireland, but these analyses are sometimes lacking in archaeological context. This paper hopes to bridge that gap by providing a chronological framework based on the settlement data from Bronze Age Ireland. It updates previous research and implements Kernel Density Estimates as well as providing a contextual discussion of the results. Five phases of settlement activity are apparent in the analysis. Settlement Phase 1 (2200-1700 BC) represents the tentative beginnings of visible domestic architecture. It sets the scene for a rapid rise and widespread adoption of visible settlement in Settlement Phase 2 (1700-1300 BC), a long phase of growth and sustained density which includes the origins of the nucleated village at Corrstown, Co. Londonderry. This is followed by a significant decrease in the perceptible level of settlement activity during Settlement Phase 3 (1300--1100 BC). In Settlement Phase 4 (1100--800/750 BC) there is a renewed increase in visible activity, although not on the scale observed during Settlement Phase 1. By Settlement Phase 5 (800/750 BC onwards) there is a significant collapse in visible settlement activity. This phasing is compared with the trends in other facets of the archaeological record, notably burnt mounds, trackways and hillforts. The remainder of the paper explores a variety of aspects of society--such as population change, changes in the subsistence economy, changes to the economic system as recognised within the metalworking corpus, and an increased importance of the sense of place and property--that should be addressed alongside the evidence from the domestic sphere presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]